Genesis Owusu

Genesis Owusu lands at O2 Institute Birmingham on 29 November 2026 with a show that folds hip-hop, funk, post-punk, soul and off-center pop into tight, physical songs. Born Kofi Owusu-Ansah in Ghana and raised in Canberra, he first broke out with singles that played on the tension between rapped and sung voices, sharp rhythms and melodies that sit close to the bone. His debut album, Smiling With No Teeth (2021), tackled identity, isolation and social friction across dry funk, direct rap passages, danceable turns and punk edges. On STRUGGLER (2023), he pushed further into angular guitars, driving grooves and spoken word, keeping the band energy upfront and the arrangements stripped to what moves the room.

On stage, Genesis Owusu shifts gears fast: low-slung funk gives way to jagged release, then slides into a hook you can carry home. He treats genres like textures, stacking them rather than choosing one lane, with a focus on pulse, breath and the snap of live instrumentation. Expect a set that moves, keeps the pressure steady and leaves space for the melodic lines that have anchored his music since the start.