Sitting in a studio with a sixty-four-year-old Koffi Olomidé in 2021, a nineteen-year-old Sabrina was nervous to boot. In that studio booth, she was not only a professional musician, but also a fan girl meeting her hero for the first time. Growing up in Yaoundé, Cameroon’s capital, she had idolized the Congolese soukous musician, whose songs animated African parties in the ‘90s and early 2000s. “I didn’t know if I was allowed to touch him,” Sabrina tells me, while looking like a picture of detached cool in a stylized pink jacket. Observing Sabrina’s star-struck unease, the older artist offered kind reassurances. “He saw that I was stressed and was like, come on, girl,” says Sabrina. The nervousness she felt in the studio, though, would not make it into the Makossa-style Abele, the result of her collaboration with Olomidé. Released in March 2021, the song was Sabrina’s first major breakthrough, its success particularly prominent in West and Central Africa.
If Olomidé is Sabrina’s francophone idol, the anglophone equivalent presents itself in Nigerian music star Yemi Alade, whose creative wanderlust made her popular across the continent, causing her to adopt the epithet Mama Africa. “She’s always joyful and brings that side of herself to the stage,” says the Cameroonian, whose full name is Sabrina Wamba Kuegou. Last year, in homage to the Nigerian, Sabrina released Johnny, a single with the same title as the song which made Alade famous in 2013. They even share a subject matter: both songs lament the titular Johnny’s fickleness as a lover. For Sabrina, making a song with Alade would be a full-circle moment, and she also wishes to collaborate with Nigerian acts Tiwa Savage and Asake. In February, her affiliations with the West African country manifested geographically when she visited Lagos for the Soundcity MVP Awards Festival.
Her desire to work with Nigerian artists may be impelled by a need for aesthetic novelty, but it’s also because she has her eyes on the money. Nigeria, more than its francophone counterparts, has a well-developed music streaming market, and is currently the primary driver of the world-scale exportation of African popular music, otherwise called Afrobeats. Courting a Nigerian audience, therefore, is de rigueur for African artists seeking a continental reach. Sabrina has made no secret of this desire, and the music video of her latest single, No Time, offers evidence of her ambition. Flags of various African countries crowd certain scenes, suggesting Sabrina, like her hero Alade, aims for a Pan-African appeal.
In a bid to reach a wider audience, Sabrina’s language has had to change. Initially, she sang predominantly in French, but has now adopted more English lyrics, and the switch came easily to her as her bilingual secondary school curriculum had afforded her a fluency in the language. Her latest single, for instance, is mostly rendered in English. Thumping with Amapiano log drums, and produced by label mate Eno On The Trck, the song delivers a stringent message: Sabrina has no patience for irrelevant associations. “If you can’t raise me up, don’t near my side,” she sings, her gentle delivery underselling the threat.
Since signing to Afrobit Productions in 2019, the Cameroonian has released several singles, like Validée, Catastrophe, La Don Go, and Five Star, the last of which features her compatriot Martin’s. Her debut album, the nine-track Love Aganda, was released in November 2021. In this interview, the twenty-one-year-old reflects on her growth as an artist and hints at projects to come.
What does No Time mean to you?
It means a lot, actually. My life is filled with many positive things, which I’m thankful for. But there are also some negative things. In the song, I am showing gratitude for the positive things happening in my life, but also setting boundaries in my personal space. I’m saying, don’t move to me if you have bad intentions or aren’t contributing positively to my career. I want people to know that, at this point, I don’t need distractions.
Could you walk me through the making of the song?
After working out what I wanted to say, I wrote the chorus in one night. Then I rang up my producer to say I needed a suitable beat..We went to one of the label’s studios in Yaoundé and started recording the song. I told Eno I wanted the song to have an Amapiano vibe, because that is the trendy thing and I wanted to jump on it. I also wanted something soft, not a harsh Amapiano. I wanted people to listen to what I was saying, and a harsh sound might distract them from the message.
While Eno made the beat, I tried to complete the writing. It was difficult at some point, but with suggestions of others in my crew, I finished writing the song. Martin’s was especially helpful. After recording the song, we started working on the music video almost immediately.
What collaborations are you preoccupied with right now, or which artists would you like to work with?
I’m working on my second album, and it will be out in October. I can’t say the title just yet or too much about it. On the album, I’d really love to have Tiwa Savage, Asake, and Yemi Alade. I know I can’t have everyone on my album, but these are people I would love to work with.
Besides Yemi Alade, who are some of your music heroes?
Growing up I listened a lot to Fali Pupa. I was also influenced by Beyoncé, Eminem, and many old-school artists. Back then I couldn’t really understand the meaning of the songs, but they tickled my fancy still.
How would you say your family shaped you as a musician?
I grew up in a musical environment. My family had many good singers. My grandfather, for example, played the guitar. My mom sang, too, but only as a pastime. My aunties also sang in a church choir and at home. My family recognized my talent for singing and would involve me when they sang. I would stand amid them, doing my best with my small voice, and it was such a happy moment. With these influences left and right, making music was almost inevitable for me.
How is Sabrina of 2021 different from Sabrina of today?
I have gained maturity in every aspect, physically and even in my music. At first, my music appealed to a specific audience, to Cameeronians and neighbouring countries. But I have understood that to grow as an artist to grow, one needs a wider audience. It’s why I now sing in both English and French, sometimes more in English.
My songwriting has also improved, and it is due to a conscious effort, because I was never really satisfied with my writing. Now, when I write a song and notice something is missing, I would work to get it right.
When you’re not making music, what are you doing?
I’m with my family. Music is the main thing, though, and it leaves me no time for other things. I’m always listening to music, and writing and recording songs. Sometimes I spend the whole day in a studio.
Will you release more singles before your album drops in October?
I think it will just be the album, except my team decides otherwise.
What does your forthcoming album promise?
I tried to appeal to as many people as possible in the album, so the songs are a mixture of many things. There are songs with French lyrics from start to finish, and there are songs in genres different from what I have previously done. I would like to keep it a secret for now, as I feel talking about it will kill the magic. The point is that I didn’t limit myself in the album, as I tried my hand on different styles, like Amapiano and Afrobeats. I think people will love it, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed.