Afropop superstar Mr Eazi has returned with his buoyant new single “Comfort,” featuring Ghanaian-American singer Moliy, the breakout voice behind the global hit “Shake It to the Max (FLY).”
Produced by Nigerian hitmaker Ragee, whose recent credits include Davido’s “Unavailable” and Ayra Starr’s “Hot Body” and “Who’s Dat Girl,” the track finds Mr Eazi revisiting the breezy, rhythm-driven sound that has defined much of his career.
With its bouncy rhythm, bubbly bass synthesiser melody and effortless vocal delivery, “Comfort” sits at the intersection of Afrobeats, dancehall, hip-hop and R&B, a continuation of the fusionist sound Mr Eazi famously dubbed Banku Music.
“This is an updated version of my signature sound,” Mr Eazi said of the track, which was recorded during a stay in London this summer. “I’m making gyal dem music—sweet, easy, flattering gyal dem music.”
The accompanying music video, directed by Ademola Falomo, complements the song with an 80s-inspired visual treatment. The retro-futurist production draws on telephone hotline commercial aesthetics, laser-grid graphics, shopping-mall photo studio backdrops and oversized mobile phones.
Mr Eazi and Ghana: A Musical Relationship That Goes Way Back
For Ghanaian audiences, “Comfort” carries an added layer of significance.
Although Mr Eazi was born in Nigeria, his musical identity was forged in Ghana, where he moved to study at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi. It was during his time in Ghana that his career began to take shape and the sound that would become Banku Music started to emerge.
His early connections to Ghana produced some of the defining collaborations of his career.
One of his earliest major records was “Bankulize,” featuring Ghanaian rapper Pappy Kojo and produced by Ghanaian-British producer Juls. The record helped introduce Mr Eazi’s distinctive fusion of Ghanaian musical influences, Nigerian melodies and Pidgin storytelling to a wider audience.
He followed it with “Skin Tight,” his hugely influential collaboration with Ghanaian singer Efya, again produced by Juls. The song became one of the defining records of Mr Eazi’s early career and an important showcase for the Banku Music sound.
Mr Eazi has continued to maintain strong creative relationships with Ghanaian artists. His collaborations include Sarkodie on “Anointing,” Eugy on “Dance For Me” and King Promise on “Dabebi.” His work with Ghanaian producer GuiltyBeatz has also produced records including “Akwaaba,” featuring Patapaa and Pappy Kojo, and “Pilolo,” featuring Kwesi Arthur.
Ghanaian producers including Juls, GuiltyBeatz and KillBeatz have similarly played important roles in Mr Eazi’s musical journey. KillBeatz, for instance, produced Mr Eazi’s “Business,” featuring Mugeez of R2Bees, as well as “Dabebi,” featuring King Promise and Maleek Berry.
That history makes his latest collaboration with Moliy particularly fitting.
Moliy has emerged as one of Ghana’s most exciting contemporary voices, with “Shake It to the Max (FLY)” becoming a major international success. The remix went on to reach No. 1 on Billboard’s US Afrobeats Songs chart and later entered the Billboard Hot 100.
“Comfort” consequently brings together two artists whose careers reflect Ghana’s continuing influence on global Afropop—Mr Eazi, whose Banku Music helped bring Ghanaian sonic influences into international Afrobeats conversations, and Moliy, part of a new generation of Ghanaian artists taking that sound to audiences around the world.
