Femi Kuti Takes ‘Journey Through Life’ On New Album

Femi Kuti will release a new studio album, Journey Through Life, on April 25 through Partisan Records. The Afrobeat musician previewed the record with the single, “After 24 Years.”

The album marks the first time Kuti produced entirely on his own. The son of late Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti also wrote and arranged the 10 songs making up the Journey Through Life tracklist. Recording sessions were held at Legacy Plus, the newly built Kuti-family recording studio in Nigeria. “After 24 Years” joins the previously shared single, “Politics Don Expose Them.”

Speaking about the pending album, Femi Kuti stated:

“Journey Through Life is basically a summary of my life from my childhood to adulthood. All through my life family has been a solid foundation, from my parents, grandparents, to my siblings, cousins and now my children, my nieces and nephews, soon my grandchildren, and true to my song at the end of the day for me family is all that matters. I believe many events happen in our lives that draw us away from each other like an undercurrent, but the essence is to manage such events and let love prevail.

“Most importantly too, is to forgive oneself for mistakes we make in life, as we strive to make corrections to improve our wellbeing and characters and always find peace and harmony with our minds, body and soul.”

Kuti also shared insight into “After 24 Years,” revealing:

“‘After 24 Years’ is summarising the last 24 years of our leadership in Nigeria (from 1999 to 2023). Since my track ‘Sorry Sorry’ was released in 1998 on the album Shoki Shoki, where I sang that our politicians and soldiers were one and the same, Nigeria went into another democratic dispensation in 1999, and true to the words of the track ‘Sorry Sorry’, our politicians have proven me right that they govern as bad if not worse than the military dictatorship.

“‘After 24 Years’ was written and the recording was completed in November 2023. It’s nearly two years after the recording was completed that the track is being released and unfortunately not much has changed except we’re now two years distant from its creation.”

Stream “After 24 Years” below:

Journey Through Life Tracklist

1. Journey Through Life
2. Chop And Run
3. After 24 Years
4. Corruption Na Stealing
5. Politics Don Expose Them
6. Shotan
7. Oga Doctor
8. Last Mugu
9. Work On Myself
10. Think My People Think