The song captures the rebellious energy of being the ‘weird, troublesome neighbour’ in an otherwise quiet Australian suburb.
Owusu channels the frustration of being misunderstood and judged, and in this case the song is a direct response to years of nosy neighbors who viewed the artist’s lifestyle and music with suspicion – skewed by sensationalized portrayals of African youth in Australian media.
Curly Hair single launch
- When: Thursday 13 March, 7pm
- Where: The Tote, Collingwood
- Tickets: Get ’em here!
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Musically, juxtaposing the message are vibrant highlife melodies and crunchy rhythmic production by Sensible J (Sampa The Great, Cool Out Sun).
The title is a playful nod to a comment one of Owusu’s neighbours made, referring to him as “the curly-haired one”, despite his caucasian housemate sporting far curlier hair.
The song references the neighbour’s complaints about band practices and music, which they described as a fusion of ‘Bob Marley, Hip-hop, and heavy metal’, being taken as disruptive to the delicate balance of suburban life. Meanwhile, these same neighbours were perfectly fine revving chainsaws at the crack of dawn on a Sunday.
Owusu also recounts various strange moments from his young life, such as the local pastor accusing him of stealing items from the church for ‘black magic’ or people snooping around his backyard for illicit substances.
Ultimately, Curly Hair serves as a kind of break-up song, signaling the artist’s departure from his coastal hometown, where the weird and the unconventional felt unwelcome. It’s a call for freedom and self-expression, and a reminder that sometimes leaving is the only way forward.
Immy aka Immanuel Kwabena Dreessens-Owusu grew up in two worlds; the sea-bleached lifestyle of the Australian Surf Coast with its rock n roll soundtrack, and the musical heritage of his Ghanaian/Dutch family. Immy’s father Kojo Noah Owusu is one of Australia’s best regarded West African musicians and his grandfather Koo Nimo is a legend of Ghanaian Highlife and Palm Wine music active since the 1960s.
Catch Immy onstage next month at a live show at The Tote, Collingwood on Thursday 13 March with support from Wild Gloriosa and Baraka The Kid to celebrate the release.
