Ghanaian music duo, Dope Nation, have shared their thoughts about the music scene in Ghana, explaining that a lot of what’s considered new in music is actually based on copying and modifying existing elements.
They mentioned that the way music is created in Ghana often involves taking progressions and melodies from old songs and transforming them into something new.
Speaking in an interview on TV3 they said, “Our fundamentals when it comes to music is copying because when you take our progressions and melodies, they are from old songs. We just bite them and create them into something new.”
“We can’t say we’re creating something new; it can’t happen because the keys and melodies are just there and have been exhausted; the only thing that can be done is to make them evolve.”
However, they emphasized that true innovation is about taking these existing elements and making them evolve. While they don’t believe they’re creating something entirely new, they do see potential in making these familiar elements evolve in unique ways.
Dope Nation also discussed their new musical direction called ‘Ghanapiano.’ They explained that they’re combining different genres and infusing them into this new sound. They noted that the world is paying attention to African music and the piano sound, so they’re taking this opportunity to create something distinctive by researching and using their own instruments to shape the tunes.
When asked if they’re confident that Ghanaians will embrace their new sound, they expressed positivity. They revealed that elements of ‘Ghanapiano’ were already present in some of their previous tracks, but now they’re giving it a distinct identity.
They believe that while they’re not making something completely new, they can make familiar music elements evolve in interesting ways.
