AratheJay believes strongly in the divine. Born Samuel Ofei Ankrah Badu, the rising Ghanaian singer-songwriter speaks to me with certainty about the divine ordination of his musical journey when we catch up for a conversation one warm afternoon in April. This ironclad conviction is what has formed the bedrock of his music and career trajectory so far. It’s also what gives most of his songs a profound sense of dedication as he strives to channel a higher power in every note and lyric he sings. “As an individual, I believe God is always working and talking,” he tells me halfway into our conversation. “That’s why as a child of God, I also need to keep working and I need to keep putting out the message he’s passing across.” 

Yet even though AratheJay is certain about his purpose to make music, he hasn’t always been sure about what style of music to make. Before he made his official debut in 2021 with “Sankofa,” the singer had tried his hand at Jazz and Rap before eventually settling on a refreshing fusion of Afropop, Highlife and Rap, which he refers to as ‘world music.’ Following the release of his hit single “Sankofa,” the singer secured a remix with the bankable King Promise, before a couple of other singles – “CHOSEN” and “MY BABY” – and guest appearances established him as one of the most exciting names in Ghana’s music scene. 

Despite the success that AratheJay’s unique style has brought him, the singer doesn’t want to be tied down. Shortly before the release of his official debut project, ‘Finding Nimo Series: The Capsule,’ he adopted a fascinating alias called Nimo Constantine. A portmanteau inspired by Koo Nimo, a Ghanaian Highlife music legend and the Roman emperor Constantine the Great, this persona embodies the different sides of AratheJay, and was created to guide listeners through his continual evolution. ‘I’m on a journey with my audience, trying to find the accurate sound God wants me to put out,’ he explains the thought process behind his debut and the alias. “‘Finding Nimo’ is the album, but on that journey, I’m going to release a couple of projects that will lead into the album.” 

AratheJay has continued to extend his impressive streak in 2025, taking his divine message and sound across Ghana and even beyond the country’s Gold Coast. Following recent collaborations with Ghanaian acts like M.anifest and Quamina MP, he’s also teamed up with Nigerian stars like T.I Blaze and the Dangbana Republik huncho Bella Shmurda for a single titled “Fire.” We recently caught up with the Ghanaian rising star to discuss his remarkable journey so far, his debut project, and his plans for the future.

I learnt that you were born in Ghana, but you grew up in Kenya. Please tell me more about that.

Yeah, I was born in Ghana, but I grew up in Kenya. That’s where I learnt Swahili. Kenya taught me a lot about cultural appreciation, and that’s also where I met DJ Wils. I met a lot of other people in Kenya who were into Jamaican music. Wil specifically introduced me to Vybz Kartel and Popcaan. At the time, I didn’t have intentions of making music, even though some other people in my family did. Then, when I moved back to Ghana, I met a few friends who were always going to record in the studio, and that’s how I started recording as well. 

Do you remember the first song you put out?

Yeah, the first song I ever put out is a Jazz song called “Spite.” It’s still up on SoundCloud. I was doing quite a bit of Jazz when I first started putting out music. I’m quite open-minded when it comes to music. I’ve tried my hand at different genres. I believe I have to take my message to the world, regardless of what genre I’m making. 

What do you think drew you to Jazz early on?

I believe it’s the soul in it. I love Highlife music so much, and what makes me love it so much isn’t just the instrumentation but also the soulful vocals. There’s a certain depth to Highlife vocals that just touches you even if you don’t understand what is being said. For me, Jazz is similar. Aside from the cool instrumentation, it has a way of conveying a certain soulful feel, and I’m so big on that. 

You almost always have a mask on. Why is that?

Big love to the team and God Almighty, they are the reason why I even decided to show a part of my face. Initially, I wanted to cover my whole face because I believe the music is not about me. I just wanted people to focus on things I’m saying and not on me. I believe my music is intentionally crafted to impact lives, so I wasn’t really big on image at first. But thanks to my team, I decided to use the knitted mask. The mask has cowries, crosses and chains; those things all represent who AratheJay is. 

Your breakout moment came in 2021 with “Sankofa.” Can you tell me the inspiration behind that song and how it came together? 

Yeah, “Sankofa” is my first official release. At the time when I made it, I wasn’t even really trying to record music or put it out. But thanks to my team, some of them are people I’ve known since school – they saw something in me, and God saw something in me as well – and they encouraged me to keep going. So that’s where “Sankofa” came from, those moments of uncertainty. “Sankofa” means go and take it back. 

Your debut project, ‘Finding Nemo Series The Capsule,’ came two years after “Sankofa.” What was the process of putting together your first album like? 

As an individual, I believe God is always working and talking. That’s why as a child of God, I also need to keep working and I need to keep putting out the message he’s passing across. So, there was never any point in particular where I finally thought it was time to record a project. All the songs that made the ‘The Capsule’ are songs that were recorded along the way. Each track conveys a message that I believe God wanted me to convey at the time.

‘The Capsule’ is part of a project where we are trying to find Nimo. I’m on a journey with my audience, trying to find the accurate sound God wants me to put out. ‘Finding Nimo’ is the album, but on that journey, I’m going to release a couple of projects that will lead into the album. The first of the projects is ‘The Capsule,’ which came out last year.  The project is a variety of genres, themes, and feels, and I believe people enjoyed it. 

Just before you released ‘The Capsule,’ you adopted a persona called Nimo Constantine. How did you come up with this persona, and how does it tie into your ongoing series?

So Nimo is like the Highlife part of AratheJay. There’s someone in Ghana called Koo Nimo. He’s one of the pioneers of Highlife. So that’s where the idea for the Nimo part of the alias came from. Constantine is referring to King Constantine, the Roman emperor who introduced Christianity. That’s the spiritual part of my music. So Nimo Constantine is AratheJay expressing the different sides of himself basically. 

Themes of faith, spirituality and positivity come up a lot in your music a lot. I’m interested in knowing if you have a religious background or if Christianity and spirituality are something you found later in life. 

I had a religious background, but it’s more of a personal thing to me now. It gets to a point where it is not about what someone is saying, but about who you know God to be for yourself. When I got to that point, that’s when I realised there was something called purpose, and purpose is something given by God. 

Your recent collaboration with Bella Shmurda was pretty fire, no pun intended. Are there other Nigerian artists you would love to work with?

I’ll love to work with everybody. It’s my dream to send a message every time, so I can’t wait for the next opportunity to do that with a Nigerian artist. I love Brymo, Duncan Mighty, Wizkid, Davido, and Burna Boy. I love everyone. Bella Shmurda recently introduced me to Burna Boy when I was in Nigeria. 

You mentioned that ‘The Capsule’ is the first instalment of the Finding Nemo series. When can fans expect the next instalment in the series?

So “Fire” with Bella Shmurda, “Jesus Christ 2” with Black Sherif and “Grenade” which was also released recently are all part of the next project in the series. The project will be out very soon. Very, very soon. 

Listen to “Alhaji Popping” here.