#IMMusicMonday: In Conversation With Camidoh
We don’t know about you but there seems to be something in the Ghanaian water. Every day we find ourselves adding a new artist from the country into our ‘one to watch’ playlists. Birthing stars such as Stonebwoy, Darkovibes, and Sarkodie, Ghana’s roster of talent is incredible. The latest artist pricking our interest is Ghanaian singer-songwriter Camidoh. Recognised for his extravagant hair colour and soulful voice, Camidoh has made quite an entrance onto the music scene.
Hailed for the incorporation of his native tongue Ewe in his releases, it is clear that Camidoh is on track to being a household name. Recently scoring international success with P Montana on their Amapiano banger ‘Fuego’, Camidoh has returned with a brand new offering – ‘Dance With You’, featuring rising superstar Kwesi Arthur.
IndustryMe got the chance to chop it up with the singer and discuss the inspiration behind the track and why love and the music industry are a deadly combination…
You mentioned that your first foray into music was with a group back in high school. What made you want to finally go solo in 2017?
I decided to go solo because I believe that in a group we should both be on the same page whilst working on a project. My colleague had divided attention, and I needed his full attention on the project to ensure we were able to give it what it deserved. So we both decided to go solo and pursue music on our own terms.
You’ve previously stated that you’ve had to push back projects due to Covid. How has the pandemic been for you creatively?
The pandemic gave me the time to reflect on myself and make music related to the situations that were happening around me. It also gave me time to delve into some sounds that I haven’t explored before. I would say it positively affected me as it also gave me new ideas and allowed me to switch up my project. So yes I would say it has really helped me grow creatively.
Your EP – Contingency Plan was nominated for an Entertainment Achievement Award. How did it feel to be nominated for an award so early in your career?
I felt happy to be acknowledged for the work that we have put in and it inspired me to do more. As an artist, once you put out a project and it’s been recognised, it gives you the motivation to want to do better than that previous project. I just feel blessed and motivated to do more for my next project and the ones following after that.
How did you come about with the idea for ‘Save The Kids With Camidoh’?
I have always had the idea of wanting to use my platform to help people. I was raised by a single mother so I decided to look into mothers who were stuck in hospital because they were unable to pay their bills. When I thought about it I realised it really wasn’t fair as other mothers were able to give birth and go home to be with their families, and these mothers were stuck in hospital simply because they weren’t able to pay this bill. We then decided to support these mothers and bring them home to allow them to raise their kids within a peaceful environment around their families. Big shout out to my friend Wesoo who motivated me to start this at an early stage in my career.
Will the event be held annually?
Yes, the aim is to do another one towards the end of this year.
Your latest single – ‘Dance with You’ is out now. What was the inspiration behind the track?
The initial idea was a man trying to get with a girl at a wedding and then her playing hard to get but eventually they both dance together. That was then developed into the wedding first dance idea which I thought made a lot of sense. We worked on that and we made sure it was reflected in the video. I think everyone who hears the song instantly thinks of a wedding dance, so I feel like we created the perfect visuals for it.
Let’s talk about love and the industry for a second – you have previously mentioned that you felt your work sometimes increased the insecurities of romantic partners and pushed them away from you. Can you expand on that, please?
Not everybody is cool with their partner being in the limelight and being touched in music videos by models or being hugged by female fans. I have had an experience where I had to break up with someone because they couldn’t handle that. I feel like it’s something that has been there with many people in relationships with artists, but I know in time God will give me someone who will understand the nature of my job and will be able to ride with me through thick and thin.
Your new track features Kwesi Arthur, what made you want to get him on the track?
Kwesi Arthur is a great artist and one I have admired for some time. When I made Dance With You he came into my mind and I sent it to him and asked him what he thought of it. He told me he liked it and after some time he came through with a beautiful verse and everyone in the team was grateful for that. He is someone who I would definitely want to work on more music with and I’m sure in time we will link again and do that.
The visual is quite a heartwarming one, what was the creative process like for the music video?
It took us some time to make the video. We really wanted to create our own wedding and we wanted the wedding to seem as real as possible. It took us some time to make the wedding dress & liaise with all the wedding vendors. At the end, it was all worth it as we achieved what we pictured. It’s nice to have vision and then see it unfold into what we imagined. Also, big shoutout to Norbert Dadson who put the video together. I’m really excited about this video and It’s now time to push it further so the world can see what we have done.
Your contribution to Fuego received positive reviews, will we see more exploration with Ampiano on your next EP : ‘LITA’ – Love Is The Answer?
I am really grateful & glad I jumped on Fuego with my brothers P Montana and Twitch. Amapiano is a sound that I really love and Nektunez, my producer really understands that. I really look forward to tapping into this sound and seeing how far I can go with it. Big shoutout to the people playing a major role in making sure this sound becomes big in Africa. Also, yes I hope to have a couple of Amapiano songs on my project as I have recorded a few great ones and I hope they make the cut.
When can we expect your next EP to be released?
We are just finishing up a few songs but it should be ready to release in November this year.