This energetic new project combines the women’s clapping music traditions of Northern Ghana with the contemporary flair, signature propulsive percussion and earworm-generating capacity of producer Wanlov The Kubolor. It’s a bold reinvention of one of Ghana’s most popular artists and women’s rights activists.

The Jam Jar Presents:
LAMISI (Ghana) (Real World Records)
+ Ben Baddoo
Friday 4th September
8pm - 11pm
The Jam Jar, Bristol
18+

Lamisi is one of Ghana’s most distinctive contemporary artists - a singer, songwriter and activist whose work bridges traditional northern Ghanaian music with forward-looking production and social purpose. Known for her powerful, soulful voice, she draws deeply on the clapping and rhythmic traditions of her home region, reimagining them within modern sonic landscapes.

Based in Accra, Lamisi is also the founder of the Lamisi Fata Foundation, an organisation dedicated to empowering girls in northern Ghana, where deeply rooted patriarchal structures continue to shape everyday life. Her music and activism are closely intertwined, with her songs often addressing themes of gender equality, identity and cultural continuity.

Her recent work marks a bold evolution in her sound. In collaboration with Wanlov The Kubolor, an innovative Ghanaian/Romanian producer, artist and cultural provocateur, Lamisi explores the intersection of ancient musical forms and contemporary production. Together, they fuse traditional clapping patterns and acoustic instrumentation with electronic textures and vocoded vocals, creating a sound that feels both rooted and experimental.

This approach reflects Lamisi’s wider artistic vision: honouring the past while speaking directly to the present. Drawing inspiration from the women of Zebilla, who have passed down clapping rhythms through generations, her music transforms communal traditions into globally resonant compositions.

Across her work, Lamisi continues to challenge expectations of what “traditional” African music can be — crafting songs that are rhythmically rich, emotionally direct and socially engaged. As both an artist and activist, she stands at the forefront of a new wave of African musicians redefining heritage, identity and creative expression on their own terms.