What Do Fuji, Royal Roots, and Beyoncé Have in Common? Adekunle Gold

Afrobeats showman and hitmaker Adekunle Gold is gearing up for the release of his sixth album.

For weeks, he has been drawing attention to the project, which marks a milestone in his decade-long career that has seen him reinvent himself with every new project. 

For his upcoming project, the award-winning star is returning to his Yoruba roots in a full-circle moment where he takes from the indigenous elements that shaped his early career to make the music that’s ushering fans into the next era. 

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In an interview with Apple Music Africa Now Radio, he gave insights into the album set for release on October 3, 2025.

The award-winning star shares how Fuji music is the soundtrack to his childhood, why he alters his looks between his albums, and how a song initially written for Beyoncé made the album. 

Like many people who grew up in South West Nigeria in the 80s and 90s, Adekunle Gold was exposed to Fuji music through his family and a community that uses it to soundtrack moments and festivities.  

“I grew up on Fuji. It was played in my house. I guess I should say thank you to my auntie for constantly playing it when I was a child. It became a part of my life. I listened to it on the street. Fuji is just the sound of Lagos. It’s at every party, every event, they play it everywhere. It’s ingrained in me, it’s a part of my life.”

Adekunle Gold’s album was titled “Finding Uncharted Journeys Inside,” whose acronym is F.U.J.I. The title aligned with the type of music he has consistently explored, so he decided to stick with FUJI to honour his cultural roots. 

“My album [title] started as an acronym. “Finding Uncharted Journeys Inside”. That’s what I was going to call the album first. But then the acronym was F.U.J.I. I’m already making Fuji sounds, I might as well just call this album Fuji. It’s just a deep dive into everything I grew up on. The sounds that formed the artist that I am. Every song. My voice is Fuji. Since my first album, Gold, I have had a Fuji-sounding song on every album. Even if I sing R&B, I sound Fuji. So I might as well just make this a body of work and show the world this sound that I grew up on, the sound of my childhood, the soundtrack of Lagos, and everything that I’ve embodied as an artist.”

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With his upcoming album, Adekunle Gold says he’s proud to be spotlighting his Yoruba culture and encourages African stars to do the same. 

“I love music, I love the sounds that I grew up on. And I love my culture, I love my traditions and heritage. I will always uphold it. I feel that as Africans, we all have a duty, an obligation to show our culture.”

Adekunle Gold is known for shapeshifting across genre lines, which is complemented by curated looks and aesthetics to match his artistic direction.

On why his looks change with every album, he describes it as a willingness to always bring his ideas to life.  

“If there’s one thing about me, it’s that I’ll do whatever I’m thinking. I have no inhibitions, and I’ve always been about fashion. I’ve loved it all my life. I’ve loved to look good. I’m particular about how I’m presented and how I walk in a room. I’m from royalty. That’s something I’ve known all my life, but I didn’t embrace it until 2023 or 2024. I went back to my palace. I’m from a royal family called Kosoko. He was the king of Lagos in the 1800s. He fought the British colony. I started to dig deep, I went back to the palace, and it’s helped me become even more confident in the way I present myself. And hey, I’ve been in the gym five times a week! I want to show that off. I’m happy to be healthy. To look good, to look fit. I love fashion; you’ve seen me at the shows. I’m just living, I’m just enjoying my life.”

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One of Nigeria’s most stylish celebrities, Adekunle Gold tells Apple Music Africa Now Radio that he takes his looks very seriously, and every album comes with different artistic interpretations. 

“I’ve been about this life since 2015. I’m a man of the arts. I love art. Any form of it. I’m a designer. I love poetry, I love literature. More importantly, I love music. I’m a full embodiment of art, so I treat my projects like movies or books. They’re new chapters to me. I like to present this to the world in the best way possible. When I made ‘Gold’, it was everything I was before the fame. ‘Above 30’, I wanted to be different. ‘Afro Pop’, I wanted to go mainstream, so I presented it that way. I made pop-sounding songs, I started to plait my hair, and I had braids. Every album has been a chapter, a new movie, a new role, a new persona. My albums are different eras of my life. Different places, different moments. They’re my books, they’re my movies, and that’s how I treat them.”

The singer reveals that one of the songs on his upcoming album was initially penned for Beyoncé's 2018 project, ‘The Lion King: The Gift’ album.

The hitmaker revealed that he was hoping that the Grammy-winning megastar wouldn’t pick the song because of how personal it is.

“ ‘Smile’ is a very important song. It’s the oldest song on my album; I wrote it in 2019. I just lost my dad when I wrote the song. I felt very lost. I was just finding my way, building a relationship with him. I didn’t know him that well my whole life. Finally, I was getting to know him, and then death took him from me. I poured all my emotions into that song, which is why when I eventually sent it to Beyoncé, I was praying that she didn’t pick it. I love her so much, that’s my idol, and it’d be a huge honour for her to sing my song, but I felt like I was sharing a piece of me. And that didn’t sit well with me. So when they didn’t pick the song, I was so happy. At least I get to tell my own story.”

Adekunle Gold has prepared listeners for the release of three singles, with the latest being 'Believe', on which he samples the classic American song 'Just The Two of Us' by Bill Withers and Grover Washington, Jr.

Following the release of 'FUJI' on October 3rd, Gold will be performing at Spotify Greasy Tunez Café on October 4th.