Ossi Grace's 'In A Hopeless Place': A deep dive into her musical storytelling
Apple Music has selected Ossi Grace as the latest artist to join its Africa Rising artist development program.
Image: Supplied
Nigerian singer-songwriter Ossi Grace is emerging as a strong voice unafraid to blur boundaries, challenge expectations and lead with emotion.
In conversation with IOL Entertainment, she opened up about the making of her latest project, "In A Hopeless Place," the intentionality behind her storytelling, and why authenticity will always be her compass.
At the heart of Ossi Grace’s music is one recurring theme: love. But she is quick to clarify that she explores it far beyond romance.
“When I say love, it’s not just limited to relationships,” she says. “Everything starts from a real place, real experiences. That’s always the foundation. Once I get into the studio, I’m asking myself: What’s the storyline of this project?”
Apple Music has selected Ossi Grace as the latest artist to join its Africa Rising artist development program.
Apple Music’s Africa Rising is an exclusive artist development programme and companion playlist that identifies, showcases, and elevates rising talent and introduces the next generation of African superstars.
For her debut album, Ossi Grace recorded 111 to 112 songs, eventually narrowing it down to 11 tracks that best served the narrative she wanted to tell.
“It’s storyline. A song might sound amazing, but if it doesn’t fit the story, it has to go.”
Ossi Grace believes storytellers speak from two places: knowing or longing. When asked which dominates her creative process, she admits it’s constantly shifting.
“Life is a balance. Today you might be sure. Tomorrow, something happens that makes you question everything. So you choose, do I stay despite the contradictions, or do I leave? That’s the space I write from.”
While her genre fluidity stands out, moving between Afrobeats, R&B, electronic textures and soulful ballads, Ossi Grace insists the magic lies in track arrangement, not genre-hopping.
“I already knew which songs I wanted; the bigger thing was the arrangement. If I opened the album with a different track, you probably wouldn’t have enjoyed the project the way you did.”
For her, sequencing is emotional engineering. “Some songs can be overwhelming. A track might remind you of a relationship that broke you. So after something heavy, you need to take listeners to a happier place.
"It’s about regulating emotions so they can stay with you through the whole album.”
When asked about navigating an industry that often tries to box artists, Ossi Grace traces her confidence back to her childhood in Nigeria.
“I’ve always been a different child,” she laughs. “And in Nigeria, nobody wants their child to be ‘the different one’. I did law, I went to uni, but I was still the girl who looked different, dressed differently, even my height was a thing.”
She recalls trying to fit in and how unhappy it made her. “I tried changing who I was. It didn’t work. I had to learn that you can’t find your community by being somebody else.”
Instead, she leaned into her individuality. “If you’re forcing yourself into a party crowd when you’re really a library girl, you’ll keep meeting people who don’t match you. The moment you go where you belong, you find your people.”
That lesson informs her artistry. “I’ve been myself all my life. I’m not about to change when it comes to my music. It’s 11 tracks; somebody will connect with something. And that’s enough.”
Accepting her uniqueness has been liberating for Ossi Grace because she found her people. “And it’s the same with my music. If I stay true to myself, the right audience will come.”
IOL