GENESIS OWUSU Returns with New Album 'STRUGGLER'

The dawn of a new era for Genesis Owusu begins. The ARIA award-winning Ghanaian-Australian artist, born Kofi Owusu-Ansah, announces his highly anticipated sophomore album, STRUGGLER, out on August 18 via OURNESS / AWAL.

Additionally, he has announced his global headline world tour including dates in North America, Australia, the UK, Germany and more, and shares the album's lead single, "Leaving the Light," along with its video directed by globally-celebrated Aotearoa New Zealand visual artist Lisa Reihana.

After launching onto the global map with his critically acclaimed debut album, 2021's Smiling with No Teeth, Owusu takes his next steps forward with STRUGGLER; an imminent exploration of the chaos and absurdity of life, and our ability to endure.

Where Smiling With No Teeth uncovered the battle against depression and racism, STRUGGLER is about how to get through it. The album takes inspiration from a close friend hitting the brink and coming through the other side, in conjunction with prompted questions of life and beauty that Owusu found himself contemplating during readings of Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot and Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis.

Recorded between the US and Australia, the album's producers traverse musical genres; from Jason Evigan (RUFUS DU SOL, SZA), to Mikey Freedom Hart (Jon Batiste's 2021 Grammy of the Year Album, We Are), Sol Was (Beyoncé's Renaissance), and original producers, Andrew Klippel and Dave Hammer.

Additionally, Owusu has collaborated with Lisa Reihana on STRUGGLER's complete visual identity. Having been showcased in elite institutions throughout the US and EU including the Venice Biennale for her critically-acclaimed video installation, In Pursuit of Venus [Infected], Reihana's work spans a diverse range of mediums.

From film, to costume and body adornment, plus video installation, Reihana has rightfully earned a reputation as a world-renowned artist and producer, engaging in thought-provoking dialogues around the concept of culture.

Today, Owusu's latest chapter unfolds with the album's lead single "Leaving the Light," a fervent anthem about survival and perseverance. Opening to a spine-crawling run of bass notes, "Leaving the Light" sets an urgent tone for the new album. The immediacy hits through Owusu's feverish verses and echoed shouts, including a jolting mix of poetic punk and melodic catharsis, and exploring form and rhythm across the track.

GENESIS OWUSU 2023 TOUR DATES

5/20 Coffs Harbour, AUS - Storyland @ Park Beach Reserve

5/23 Charlotte, NC - Spectrum Center**

5/25 Atlanta, GA - State Farm Arena**

5/28 Boston, MA - Boston Calling

5/30 New York, NY - Madison Square Garden**

5/31 New York, NY - Madison Square Garden**

6/02 Washington, DC - Capitol One Arena**

6/04 Cleveland, OH - Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse**

6/05 Indianapolis, IN - Gainbridge Fieldhouse**

6/07 Detroit, MI - Little Caesars Arena**

6/08 Toronto, ON - Scotiabank Arena**

6/10 Columbus, OH - Schottenstein Center**

6/11 Pittsburgh, PA - PPG Paints Arena**

6/13 Orlando, FL - Amway Center**

6/14 Hollywood, FL - Hard Rock Live**

10/12 Minneapolis, MN - Fine Line

10/13 Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall

10/14 Ferndale, MI - The Loving Touch

10/15 Pittsburgh, PA - Thunderbird Music Hall

10/17 Toronto, ON - The Velvet Underground

10/18 Montreal, QC - Le Studio TD

10/19 Boston, MA - The Sinclair

10/20 Brooklyn, NY - Elsewhere

10/21 Philadelphia, PA - Underground Arts

10/25 Washington, DC - Union Stage

10/27 Charlotte, NC - Visulite Theatre

10/28 Atlanta, GA - Terminal West

10/29 Nashville, TN - The Basement East

10/31 Austin, TX - Empire Control Room & Garage

11/01 Dallas, TX - The Studio at The Factory

11/03 Denver, CO - Globe Hall

11/06 Los Angeles, CA - The Fonda Theatre

11/07 San Francisco, CA - The Independent

11/09 Seattle, WA - Neumos

11/10 Portland, OR - Star Theatre

11/11 Vancouver, BC - Rickshaw Theatre

11/15 London, UK - Heaven

11/16 Paris, FR - Café de la Danse

11/17 Berlin, DE - Hole44

12/01 Perth, AUS - Ice Cream Factory

12/08 Melbourne, AUS - Festival Hall

12/09 Canberra, AUS - UC Refectory

12/14 Brisbane, AUS - Fortitude Music Hall

12/15 Sydney, AUS - Hordern Pavilion

12/16 Adelaide, AUS - Hindley St Music Hall

**notes tour dates with Paramore, Bloc Party

Photo by Bec Parsons

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