CULARTBLOG CULTURE CONVOS: KING PALUTA
King Paluta’s career continues to rise as his single ‘’Aseda’’, released in February, 2024 keeps soaring up music charts. Before his musical breakthrough, the Kumasi based artist had been making music for half of his life. His success has come with great attention and new opportunities including four (4) nominations at this year’s Telecel Ghana Music Awards.
The name King Paluta has always been a curious one for many. Questions such as ”who is this person?, why this name?, why is everyone talking about him? has been begging for answers. King Paluta did not come across as one of those internet sensations that comes for a minute and disappears. The artist born Thomas Adjei Wireko has been in and out of the scene since 2004 and this time around, seem very determined to stamp his name on the music scene.
CulArtBlog caught up with the buzzing artist to find out more about his music, newfound status, the opportunities that has come with the success as well as what Kumasi means to him and his art. This interview has been edited for clarity.
KING PALUTA. Your name sounds heavy and unique. It sounds like King Kong or Godzilla. Where did it come from or what inspired it? Has it got anything to do with your childhood, adulthood or is it just purely with the music.
I’m sure everybody understands the name ”King”. Paluta is a name; a real name and not a nickname. The name has a positive effect because like people say, every name has its own effect or something. So, this name ”Paluta” has a positive effect behind it. But I can’t really say or point out the specific meaning of the name, I hope you get it. For me, the name signifies ambition or greatness or something like that. All I can say is, it’s a real name which I got from my uncle.
Between 12th September 2019 when you released “My Lord” to your recent release “Aseda” in February, 2024, it’s been 5 years. What has the journey been like? Take us through the past five years? I know there’s the part where you were signed to a label back then, but let’s focus on the past 5 years.
Yeah true, I dropped ‘’My Lord’’ in 2019. Since then, it has always been about work for me. I never stopped (working). I came dropping bangers upon bangers; when I dropped a song today, I dropped another tomorrow, So, it has always been about work.
Do you think this is the right time for you to “shine” or to be out there for people to know who you are? Were you hoping for it to be sooner, or you think now is just the perfect time?
Yeah, I wasn’t expecting anything to come today or to come yesterday or anything. I was just doing it (music). Naturally I believed it’ll one day make sense, but you know nobody knows tomorrow. It’s like somebody asking you where you see yourself in the next 5 years. I can’t see tomorrow you know, so nobody really knows what is going to happen in the next six months. You can just hope for it. I believed it was going to happen, but I didn’t know exactly when that would happen.
You were in Düsseldorf, Germany a while back. How was the reception? I mean, I saw the videos, but I want to know how it felt seeing people outside Ghana sing your songs, word for word.
True, I did tour Europe. I was in Germany – Düsseldorf, Hamburg, went to France and Italy and finally came back to Ghana. I’ve been all over the place. It was a great experience going outside the country, performing for people in these European countries. Though majority of the audience were Ghanaians, there were some from other countries in the crowd jamming to the songs. Seeing stuff like that gets you so motivated. I feel like whatever experience that I got, there is a big motivation for me and we’re still going to do more so that we can grab more. It’s not going to be just European tours, maybe all over the world or something. Yeah, whatever experience we got there; we’re moving with it because it’s a big motivation, a big win for us.
How would you describe your sound or your style for somebody who is hearing the name King Paluta for the first time?
Okay, I’ve been doing music- any kind of music anything that comes to mind, I do it. But to the people, the listeners, they feel like this is hiplife. I don’t blame them because I’ve been doing hiplife for ages and I feel like I still get that thing in me. So, if they feel like this is hiplife then, it is hiplife. I always tell myself that I won’t be just a one-dimensional artist- I can get up tomorrow and do reggae or something. For now, King Paluta sounds more hiplife than any other artiste.
Let’s talk briefly about the upcoming Telecel Ghana Music Awards (TGMA). You’ve earned 4 nominations (Best Collaboration, New Artiste of the Year, Best Hiplife/HipHop Artiste, and Best Hiplife Song of the Year). That’s a big deal, right? You wrote on your Instagram, and I quote “From JSS tabletop to Ghana Music Awards”. Talk to me – what was your first reaction when the nominations came out? Which of them are you looking forward to winning?
Okay, I felt amazing, but it was normal. I felt my work has been appreciated and recognized because if you’re working and they don’t appreciate your work enough, the feeling is different. It felt amazing; it gave me chills and all that but at the end of the day it’s still work. I don’t think it really changes anything. It rather gives you this feeling of doing more. Big shoutouts to TGMA and Charter House for recognizing my work. I really appreciate that, and I expect to grab the whole award (laughs).
Finally, Kumasi has been very central to the growth of Ghanaian music for decades. In your opinion, what does Kumasi mean to you and how has the city influenced you as a person and art?
Okay, I was born and raised in Kumasi. So if you ask me this, I’ll say everything that got to do with me- the way I speak, the way I walk, in fact, everything is from Kumasi. There’s nothing I can take out off this because I got it from Kumasi before any other place. I’ve travelled around lately so it’s going to be like I’ve got new experience; maybe when I’m talking or what I eat may change a little but Kumasi, you know is my hometown- born and raised- so whatever I’m doing in my music and every other thing is related to Kumasi.
Thank you for taking time out to talk to us King Paluta. We wish you all the best in your journey, we are rooting for you and all the best with the nominations – go and bring us the awards.
Okay so, we’re just going to keep working and leave any other thing to God and nature to decide so that’s all I can say. Thank you for having me.
