The ambiguous euphony of OliveTheBoy’s GoodSin

5 sep 2023 - 13:52

Published under the Creative Commons Licence

Afropop, as a genre, flourishes on its adaptability coupled with the idea that love and lust are mutually inclusive. Thus, the best songs are often those that blur subject lines, with lust being the main detail. The recent viral success of OliveTheBoy’s ‘GoodSin’ manifests this premise.

OliveTheBoy.

The green-haired Ghanaian breakout star, who recently joined Sony Music’s Columbia Records, is just 20 years old. Artists his age are generally prone to music that delivers itself to denying its author’s innocence. The genre’s lyrics also permit a margin of error, which is why the pointlessness of the song’s intro – “A moment of silence for my baby” – could be excused.

When you get into the weeds of it, the dance-driven Beatz Vampire-produced joint, which also serves as the focus track of OliveTheBoy’s Avana EP, is an invitation to immediate taboo cravings of a nocturnal nature. Love (or lust) is a trap that ensnares him, and, to his mind, one can go about unapproved coition with a kind of virtuous caution. He preaches, likely in the heat of passion, that the act is venial, not mortal.

And yet, lines like “Loving you no get holiday” and “I need no one like I need you” suggest that he’s not merely looking for sex, but has his sights set on making a life choice. Thanks to how passionately he bends his notes, OliveTheBoy manages to remain sincere and charming, from whichever direction you analyse it.

If lyrical ambiguity is one way to win with pop from here, then ‘GoodSin’ checks that box. Unlike the song’s inconclusive lyrics, however, its attendant video, fresh off Babs Direction’s editing suite, is a pretty simple cypher to crack, offering a narrative centred on the theme of teenage affection and innocence. The video features a series of scenes that depict the excitement of young love. It begins with OliveTheBoy making a phone call to a love interest, with one of his friends playfully taking the rotary phone to recite the song’s opening lines. The video then shifts to the love interest’s room, where she’s lying down, enthusiastically wiggling her socked toes while propping herself up with her elbows. The friends of both individuals engage in playful teasing as they float in the early stages of love. The video is characterised by its bold colour blocks, vibrant choreography, and a high-school atmosphere, complete with male dancers wearing high-school uniforms. There’s even a creative scene set in a makeshift amusement park within an empty swimming pool.

‘GoodSin’ carries an elocution that closely resembles a Nigerian creation, hinting at the influence of Nigerian Afrobeats on Ghanaian artists. It is worth noting that emerging Ghanaian acts may be more exposed to Naija-sounding Afrobeats in light of the West African country’s global pop insurgency. Camidoh, via ‘Sugarcane’, has taught us that this approach gives you a foot in the door of Afrobeats stardom.

While one song alone may not be sufficient to declare OliveTheBoy as Ghana’s most promising pop apprentice, it’s clear that he joins a critical mass of new acts breathing fresh perspectives into Afrobeats from the country.