Rocky Dawuni is a

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

ian singer, songwriter and record producer who performs his signature 'Afro Roots' sound which is a mixture of Reggae, Afrobeat, Highlife and Soul music. He currently lives between Ghana and Los Angeles. Rocky is a two-time Grammy nominated musician and activist.

Music career

Dawuni got acquainted with Reggae in Ghana when he heard a military band performing one of

Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981; baptised in 1980 as Berhane Selassie) was a Jamaican singer, musician, and songwriter. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, his musical career was marked by fusing elements o ...

's compositions in Michel Camp; a

military barracks Barracks are usually a group of long buildings built to house military personnel or laborers. The English word originates from the 17th century via French and Italian from an old Spanish word "barraca" ("soldier's tent"), but today barracks are u ...

where he grew up. Dawuni started the annual "Independence Splash" festival, which is held in Ghana on Ghanaian Independence Day, March 6. Dawuni has recorded eight full-length albums. His sixth studio album titled Branches of The Same Tree was nominated for a

Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album The Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1985 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality works in the reggae music genre. Honors in sev ...

in December 2015 for the

58th Annual Grammy Awards The 58th Annual Grammy Awards was held on February 15, 2016, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The ceremony recognizes the best recordings, compositions and artists of the eligibility year, which was from October 1, 2014, to September 30, 20 ...

, released 31 March 2015 making him the first nominee from his home country of Ghana. Songlines Magazine named the Branches of Same Tree album in the top 10 most essential reggae albums of all time. Inspired by the soulful beats of Fela Kuti and Bob Marley, the album highlighted Dawuni's ability to communicate uplifting messages to the hear of millions. Beats of Zion, the 2019 single by Rocky, which was released January 25 is a precursor to his 7th studio album which also bears the same title and featured Ghana's dancehall star, tonebwoy The last video for the albums is "Champion Arise", which was named "Top Tune of the Day" on premier National Public Radio Station KCRW. In June 2019 Rocky released the new single "Modern Man", remixed by Gaudi. His 8th studio release, Voice of Bunbon, Vol. 1 was nominated during the

Grammy Award for Best Global Music Album The Grammy Award for Best Global Music Album is an honor presented to recording artists for influential music from around the globe at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. Honors i ...

in the 64th Annual Grammy Awards, making Rocky a multi-Grammy nominee in 2022. Three music videos were released for the EP including "Ghost Town", which was shot by photographer Casey Bridges (son of actor

Beau Bridges Lloyd Vernet "Beau" Bridges III (born December 9, 1941) is an American actor and director. He is a three-time Emmy, two-time Golden Globe and one-time Grammy Award winner, as well as a two-time Screen Actors Guild Award nominee. Bridges was a ...

). The music video "Beautiful People" from the album was shot in Rocky's home village of Bunbon by Ghanaian cinematographer, Slingshot. Rocky released the music video for ''Woara'' (which translates as "you or it's you" in

Twi Twi () is a dialect of the Akan language spoken in southern and central Ghana by several million people, mainly of the Akan people, the largest of the seventeen major ethnic groups in Ghana. Twi has about 17-18 million speakers in total, includ ...

) in September 2021. It was sung in the local Akan dialect, Twi. ''Woara'' is a love song with a call and response style to express the beauty and triumph of being in love.

Activism and goodwill

The musician and activist who is known to straddle the boundaries between Africa, the Caribbean and the U.S. to create sounds that unite generations and cultures works to foster global peace. Dawuni has shared the stage with

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop musi ...

Peter Gabriel Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and activist. He rose to fame as the original lead singer of the progressive rock band Genesis. After leaving Genesis in 1975, he launched ...

Bono Paul David Hewson (born 10 May 1960), known by his stage name Bono (), is an Irish singer-songwriter, activist, and philanthropist. He is the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the rock band U2. Born and raised in Dublin, he attended M ...

Jason Mraz Jason Thomas Mraz (; born June 23, 1977) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He rose to prominence with the release of his debut studio album, ''Waiting for My Rocket to Come'' (2002), which spawned the single " The Remedy (I Won't ...

Janelle Monáe Janelle Monáe Robinson (; born December 1, 1985) is an American singer, rapper and actress. She is signed to Atlantic Records, as well as to her own imprint, the Wondaland Arts Society. Monáe has received eight Grammy Award nominations. Mon� ...

and

John Legend John Roger Stephens (born December 28, 1978), known professionally as John Legend, is an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and record producer. He began his musical career by working behind the scenes, playing piano on Lauryn Hill's " Ever ...

, among many others. Named one of Africa's Top 10 global stars by

CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by the M ...

. Dawuni's stature as a cultural diplomat and successful melding of music and activism have led him to become a spokesperson for various global causes. He is a

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

Goodwill Ambassador Goodwill ambassador is a post-nominal honorific title, a professional occupation and/or authoritative designation that is assigned to a person who advocates for a specific cause or global issue on the basis of their notability such as a public ...

for Africa for UN Environment and is a Global Ambassador for the UN Foundation's Clean Cooking Alliance alongside actress

Julia Roberts Julia Fiona Roberts (born October 28, 1967) is an American actress. Known for her leading roles in films encompassing a variety of genres, she has received multiple accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and thr ...

and Chef

José Andrés José Ramón Andrés Puerta (born 13 July 1969) is a Spanish chef, and founder of World Central Kitchen (WCK), a non-profit devoted to providing meals in the wake of natural disasters. A Spanish-born and raised cook, he is often credited with br ...

. Rocky was named the Global Ambassador for the World Day of African and Afrodescendant Culture recognized by

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

, through which he uses his music to shine a light on crucial issues facing humanity across the globe.

Discography

Videography

Music featured in movies

Music featured on television

Music featured on video games

External links

Official Website

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dawuni, Rocky Ghanaian reggae musicians Ghanaian male singer-songwriters 21st-century Ghanaian male singers 21st-century Ghanaian singers Ghanaian Rastafarians Living people 1969 births 20th-century Ghanaian male singers