Baaba J didn’t grow up chasing the spotlight. Her journey into music feels more like a quiet unfolding than a loud arrival; a process rooted in curiosity, reflection, and a deep sensitivity to the world around her. Born and raised in Tema, Ghana, Jemima Baaba Haywood-Dadzie, known to listeners as Baaba J, has found her way to music through the backroads—gospel-filled childhood mornings, a flirtation with filmmaking, and afternoons of self-discovery spent writing to escape routine.
Now 25, Baaba J represents a generation of artists who are not waiting for permission to define themselves. Her music is less about fitting into categories and more about building a space where genre, language, and emotion coexist. The result is a fluid fusion of highlife, soul, rap, pop and folk, bound together by an unmistakably African core and shaped by lived experience.
Her 2020 debut EP ‘Lumumba St.’ was a statement across five tracks. Baaba introduced listeners to her layered sonic identity: rich in live instrumentation, unapologetically personal, and grounded in her Ghanaian heritage. “Tomboy,” the lead single, doubled as both a sonic standout and visual statement, with a self-co-directed video that championed self-acceptance and individual choice. By the time she followed up with ‘Lovin 21’, a reflective nod to coming of age, it was clear she had now evolved. This evolution deepens on her sophomore offering, ‘Okay Baby, Let’s Do This,’ a seven-track project that finds strength in softness. Songs like “Ole” distill emotional tension with quiet precision, backed by slow, live-recorded percussion and delicate instrumental layering. There’s a noticeable intimacy to her process, from the hand-played instruments to the tender pacing of her vocal delivery. Everything feels intentional. Not overproduced, just well thought-out.
Baaba J’s approach to sound mirrors her approach to self; fluid, layered, and unafraid to explore the intersections. She performs in English, Pidgin, and Ga, drawing on her surroundings not just for lyrics, but for rhythm and resonance. Her sound carries the texture of place, street corners, living rooms, quiet neighbourhoods steeped in folklore and family.
Baaba J’s third EP, ‘In Pursuit of Happiness,’ is her most assured work yet. A soulful, genre-blurring journey that honours her roots while embracing evolution. From the palmwine shimmer of “Ah Well” to the cultural pride of “Here Comes The Sun” and the cinematic flair of “Runaway”, the project balances introspection with lightness and growth with groove. Every track feels intentional and free, culminating in a body of work that reaffirms her voice as one worth following—bold, rooted, and joyfully unbound.
Though she’s relatively new to the scene, Baaba J’s presence has grown organically through thoughtful performances at TEDx Ashesi, Accra Indie Film Festival, and The MiM Life Concert. Baaba J is nurturing a catalogue that reflects who she is now.
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