Genesis Owusu has dropped his first single of the year, “STAMPEDE”.
Out now via Ourness, “STAMPEDE” is one of Owusu’s most personal songs to date, as the accompanying music video shows.
Directed by Isaac Brown, the clip was filmed in the streets of Accra, Ghana, Owusu’s home country (watch below).
“This whole project is about humanity and community, not just in Australia, where I live, but globally,” Owusu explains. “It felt nourishing to go back to my home country (Ghana) for the first time in 11 years and showcase a bit of the culture there; the youth and the deep subcultures, far beyond the perceptions a lot of people may have of Africa.”
“STAMPEDE” follows two 2025 singles.
“PIRATE RADIO” earned radio play from BBC Radio 1, KCRW, KEXP, SiriusXMU, and more, and also topped triple j’s Most Played for multiple consecutive days. “DEATH CULT ZOMBIE”, meanwhile, earned a global premiere via Zane Lowe alongside BBC 6 Music support and a rave review from The Needle Drop‘s Anthony Fontano.
Last year saw Owusu preview his new songs at intimate live residencies in Sydney and Melbourne.
Love Music?
Get your daily dose of everything happening in Australian/New Zealand music and globally.
Rolling Stone AU/NZ was at the Sydney show, with our reviewer noting that the Ghanaian-Australian artist had “the fully locked-in crowd in the palm of his hand.”
The Sydney Morning Herald gave the show five stars, writing, “He owns and masters every step of the musical journey, unifying styles with his commanding voice, mesmeric movement and superstar presence …one of the year’s great live shows.”
Two of Owusu’s best songs, “Don’t Need You” (2020) and “Get Inspired” (2022), made it into our Best Australian & New Zealand Songs of the 21st Century So Far list last year.
“It contains everything that has made Owusu one of the biggest names in Australian music in a matter of years: supremely self-confident vocals and lyrics aided by an intoxicating number of left-field genre turns,” we wrote of the latter song.
Owusu’s last album, Struggler, won multiple ARIA Awards in 2023, including Album of the Year and Best Independent Release.
Genesis Owusu’s “STAMPEDE” is out now via Ourness.
