In April 2019, award-winning Ghanian rapper Kwesi Arthur released his adventurous hip-hop and Afrobeats album titled “Live From Nkrumah Krom, Vol II: Home Run.” Guesting an all-star cast of Sarkodie, Nasty C, Stonebwoy, Mr Eazi, Santi and Va Midzo, the project enjoyed rave reviews from critics with some describing it as “his most accessible work yet”. But ever since then, all we’ve gotten from the emcee is a near-total radio silence music-wise, save for a couple of features with BOJ, DJ Cuppy and a more over the past year.

However, Kwesi Arthur is now back from his self-imposed hiatus, giving us a taste of the materials he’s been working on with a new single titled ‘Turn On The Lights’. Speaking about the creation of the tune, Kwesi reveals that “the beat to the song was made last year in a session I had with the producer Yung Demz. I forgot the initial idea I had for it. Months later, I listened to beats stumbled upon it, and I just end up making [Turn on the Lights].”

As you listen to Kewsi Arthur croon over the smooth Yung Demz production, you can simply tell he’s single and searching. You can feel the soulfulness in his lyrics as he laments on the loneliness that comes with being single. ‘Looking for a girl who go stand by me/ I just need a girl I go confide in’ he sings.

And when it comes to the infectious sing-along hook, he tells it as it is “I taya being single”. A very timely record, ‘Turn On The Lights’ helps to soundtrack the loneliness we almost all feel as single youths and young lovers stranded in isolation. It plays into the longing for intimacy in the COVID19-world, where we just have to stay apart or our safety.

Over the past few years, Kwesi Arthur has eased himself into the spotlight as one of Ghana’s most promising flagbearers in their quest to penetrate the world music market. And with this syrupy release, he reminds everyone why he’s even more deserving of that position.