Born in Kumasi, Ghana, in 1937, Osei’s musical journey began with highlife, a genre born from the fusion of African rhythms and Western jazz, which became popular under British colonial rule. With his first band, The Comets, he discovered his talent for blending genres. This skill would be the aspect of Osibisa that made them one of the most experimental acts to make it mainstream, whilst always remaining accessible to new listeners.

Osei had to work to earn his success. After moving to London in 1962, he worked as a pot washer to support himself while attending a music and drama school, alongside performing. He first picked up the saxophone when left to fill in for an absent bandmate, and continued to teach himself to play. He would play the instrument on all but one of Osibisa’s albums.

In 1969, after returning to London from a stint touring Europe with fellow students, Osei founded Osibisa. The band’s name came from the Ghanaian word osibisaba, which translates to ‘highlife’. Combining African rhythms with jazz, rock, funk, and disco, Osibisa created an ever-changing, genre-defying style that resonated with audiences across continents.

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Osibisa quickly gained traction in the UK. Their first two albums, produced by Tony Visconti and featuring artwork by Roger Dean, both reached 11 in the UK charts. Their track ‘Sunshine Day’ peaked at 17 on the singles chart, and charted higher than Paul Simon’s ‘50 Ways To Leave Your Lover’ and Roxy Music’s ‘Both Ends Burning’ in 1976.  

Teddy osei’s impact on uniting Carribeans and Africans in the Uk needs to be studied.

— Ya’siin. (@213yasiin) January 15, 2025

Osei’s vision extended beyond music, seeing it as a medium for hope. Osibisa played an important role in uniting African and Caribbean diasporas in the UK, and inspiring pride in African heritage. In response to his passing, one X user simply put “Teddy Osei’s impact on uniting Caribbeans and Africans in the UK needs to be studied.”

In 2000, their hit ‘Sunshine Day’ was chosen as a theme for the UEFA European Championships. In 2010, Osei suffered a stroke, but continued to guide the band, deciding what they recorded and directing the artwork that would appear on their albums. He once said, “We put [everything] in one pot and cook it,” a perfect metaphor for Osibisa.

His positivity shone through in interviews. Speaking in 1995 in an interview on Greek radio, he said, “I knew I had something to offer, to make people happy.” Reflecting on the band’s unique sound, he described it as “exploding rhythms, with excitement, getting people up and feeling good.”

Osei’s contributions extended to the literary world as well. He had input on Lloyd Bradley’s Sounds Like London, a definitive history of Black music in the UK, which was praised not only as a book, but as a piece of social history.

Teddy Osei’s impact is undeniable. His music united diverse communities and brought African rhythms to the world stage. He was admired by Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Wonder (the latter of which helped Osibisa earn a record deal), and played alongside The Rolling Stones in a Top of the Pops performance of Brown Sugar. Osei’s influence is all around us, and the music world is a little less fun without him.

Notting Hill Carnival: Windrush-themed bus to run to mark 75th anniversary https://t.co/VZxSUR5ahZ

— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) August 26, 2023

This year’s event will feature a three mile long parade that will feature music, dance and steel bands. The chief executive of the carnival, Matthew Phillip has spoken of his confidence that this year’s celebration will be another amazing occasion, while London’s mayor Sadiq Kahn said, “Carnival is the embodiment of our city’s highest ideals, of how London’s diversity is not a weakness to be tolerated grudgingly, but a strength to be celebrated proudly. As a mayor of all Londoners, I will always do whatever I can to ensure this celebration of culture, identity and freedom continues to thrive.”

Notting Hill Carnival CEO Matthew Phillip ,who is entering his sixth year in the position, says ‘the eyes of the world are on us’. Will you be going this year?#NottingHillCarnival pic.twitter.com/3D0PssyxRw — London Live (@LondonLive) August 25, 2023

On Saturday in Emslie Horniman’s Park, the UK’s biggest steel pan competition and the UK national panorama Steel Band competition took place where performers played 10 minute compositions completely by memory. The carnival truly gets underway on Sunday however, with the opening ceremony in the morning, followed by the Children’s Parade, Adult’s Dutty/Fun Mas paint mayhem and then Sound Systems to close out the day.

On Monday, the day begins with the Adult’s Day Parade and will also feature Sound Systems, food stalls and live stages. This year’s live stages will feature performances at Soca City from 12pm-7pm and Powis Square Stage from 12pm-7pm. Often leaving acts until the last minute to ramp up excitement, this year’s confirmed performers include Shaggy who shot to fame in the 1990’s pop music scene.

.@MayorofLondon looks ahead to the world-renowned #NottingHillCarnival this weekend in today’s @EveningStandard https://t.co/F9pngTwwnr

— Mayor’s Press Office (@LDN_pressoffice) August 25, 2023

Began in 1966 by Rhuane Laslett , Notting Hill Carnival was conceived as a result of rising racial relations and attacks throughout the UK. Intended as a diverse celebration, Notting Hill Carnival’s main aim was to promote cultural unity.

The carnival is mostly free entry with certain events requiring a ticket and is located in the London borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

The African-pop singer broke onto the music scene recently with his first hit single Baby only released in 2019. Baby received over 20 million streams in the UK and 30 million views on YouTube, as well as receiving vast critical acclaim. That year Joeboy released his first EP Love and Light which earned him awards from Soundcity MVP Awards Festival and Best Artiste at the 2019 All Africa Music Awards.

Joeboy released a statement about the coming album today, saying that “working on this project was life changing — I met a version of myself I never knew before. The plan was to come up with a title that best describes love, without actually using the word love. Hence Somewhere Between Beauty & Magic. Because love is a perfect blend of beauty and magic.”

African fusion music is currently in the middle of a takeover on UK spotify and apple music, the genre of West African pop and R&B is being referred to as afrobeats. Including Joeboy, artists such as Burna Boy and Amaarae have skyrocketed in streams in the UK and have even inspired stars like Drake, Beyonce and Diplo to integrate the genre into some of their new music.

An expert in the genre Mankaprr Conteh described the influence of African music in the UK right now,  saying that the “lore of the term Afrobeats is that around 2010 there are African immigrant communities in the UK that are just turning up to a lot of music from Nigeria and Ghana and other parts of West Africa in the clubs and at parties. DJs and promoters then need a way to package and sell these events that are going to feature this popular West African music. And so the term Afrobeats is coined as a catchall for the sound.”

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