Watch: King George VIII Releases His Video For “SILENCE”
King George VIII is the moniker of 27-year-old Norwegian/Ghanaian artist George Kwadwo Ofori. His work as a producer has spanned eight years and counting, with a passion for music preceding that well into his childhood. It is this very period of his life that has served as the inspiration for much of the artist’s music; and this is well clad in a sonic cloak of afro-inspired R&B, electronic music (personally dubbed afrotronics) and a renaissance of West African genres such as highlife and palm wine afrobeat.
“Silence” is the debut single off artist King George VIII’s upcoming debut album entitled “Queensland”. The three-minute song features Ghanaian heavyweights M.anifest (rapper) & Adomaa (vocalist). It is produced (with backing vocals) by King George VIII, co-produced by younger brother Gerald Ofori and was released on all digital platforms in April 2019. In the aftermath of the release, there have been live performances to promote the single in Norwegian cities Oslo, Bergen and Tromsø – as well as in Accra, Ghana.
It was in the latter city that the music video for the single was shot on location, by enigmatic video director Michael Ansah and art director Gustus Poku-Sarkodee. Both young men and Accra-based, they have previously worked visually with up- and-coming local acts such as Herman Suede, Trei and Kwesi Arthur.
The music video depicts Accra life, as narrated by rapper M.anifest in the track: “Accra where we dey, things no easy…” The contrast of the message is evident however, with the video showing the Ghanaian capital through gold-tinted, warmly vintaged lenses. The city is depicted in its most vibrants forms, angles high and low – from the coasts of Jamestown to inner city footballers playing out a match. All this before crescendoing into the rooftop of the Villagio Vista residential complex (showcasing artist cameos by Adomaa and King George VIII himself).
To capture the purest essence of West Africa is never an easy task, and certainly not from abroad. This is why the local team was assembled and tasked by the artist and management to showcase Accra and a morsel of Ghana to the world – from their perspective. We hope you will be interested in viewing this video and indulge in its uniqueness, and would greatly appreciate all and any feedback, premieres and/or interview enquiries.
FEATURING:
Khlani (Model), Adomaa (Performer), King George VIII (Model & Producer), Michael Ansah (Director & videographer), Gustus Poku-Sarkodee
(Art Direction), Piratheepan Jeyarakan (Artist Manager), M.anifest (Performer), Abdiqalif Jimaale (Label Head) and Gerald Ofori (Song co-producer).
