Johanna E Speaks On Music, Identity And Recording In Ghana

Appearing on Culture Daily, diaspora-based Afrobeat artiste and producer Johanna E described her first extended stay in Ghana as a transformative experience after spending five weeks in the country during the festive December season.

Beyond the festivities, Johanna E used her time in Ghana to deepen her artistic journey, recording new music, collaborating with local creatives and experimenting with Ghanaian languages in her songwriting.

Based in the United States, Johanna E is an East African creative of Eritrean heritage with a background in communications and public affairs. She is also the founder of a cultural NGO focused on youth development, sports and community engagement in parts of the US. Her entry into music production, she explained, came from a self-taught journey driven by her interest in technology and dissatisfaction with industry professionalism.

Since 2018, Johanna E has worked as a producer, engineer and artiste, creating beats, engineering records and running a production company. During her Ghana stay, she has recorded and produced new material with local collaborators, including Brainy Beats, Kwesi King and other creatives.

She also revealed that she has begun recording music incorporating Ghanaian languages, describing the process as a way of respectfully engaging African cultures beyond her own. “I embody being African,” she said, adding that her goal is to learn, adopt and celebrate the cultures she encounters through music.

Johanna E recently released COME TO ME, a collaboration with Ghanaian artiste Jupiter, and confirmed plans to shoot the music video in Ghana during her return in April. She is also preparing a new EP tentatively titled PHOENIX LOVER, which she described as a symbol of rebirth, resilience and creative clarity.

Looking ahead, Johanna E expressed interest in working with Ghanaian artistes such as King Promise and Shatta Wale, while continuing to balance music with international projects in media production, business and cultural advocacy.

As she prepares to return to the US, Johanna E says Ghana has left a lasting impression. One she intends to revisit not just seasonally, but creatively and culturally.