BOKO YOUT’s Paul Adamah has just returned from a much-needed break, and by the sound of it, it couldn’t have come at a better time. It was a “well-needed vacation,” he explains. “Tour life is hectic.”
That’s fair. The Swedish artist recently wrapped a run with Viagra Boys, his first proper string of international shows. “It was amazing,” he says. “It’s quite special to be on a longer tour since most of our stops usually are spread out. Playing in different venues every night, seeing how different cultures react to our set was a learning experience. Some were easier than others. It felt surreal, and I had to pinch my arm to remember to be present sometimes. The Viagra Boys and their team are very kind and supportive as well, making us feel appreciated during the journey.”
If you’ve seen a BOKO YOUT show, you know the vibe is hard to pin down: somewhere between an art installation and a cosmic freak-out, delivered with wild-eyed intensity and conceptual depth. And yet, at the heart of the project is something tender. Something curious.
Raised in Örebro by a Togolese father and Mozambican mother, Adamah’s earliest influences came from home. “My father was a DJ and used to sing in a band before coming to Sweden. My brother produced beats from his bedroom, and my mother loved blasting music and singing her heart out while growing up. Naturally, I gravitated towards free expression, and music became my first love.”
His first song? A bet. “My first song started off as a joke. I made a bet with a friend that I could make a whole mixtape on my iPad, and so I did. It’s so bad.”
Things have changed since then. His debut album, ‘GUSTO’, is a multi-layered concept record about self-examination, healing and an alter ego called Dr Gusto. “Last year, after the most terrifying panic attack in my life, I decided to go cold turkey on weed and noticed how my dreams came back more intense than ever before,” he explains. “They seemed to carry symbolic meaning. Naturally, I wanted to understand them. I dove into esoteric knowledge and fell into the hands of Carl Jung and dream interpretation.
“One night, as I struggled to fall asleep, caught in the haze between wakefulness and sleep, I met the figure that I now call Dr Gusto. I’m not sure if it was real or not, but that’s what I remember.”
“I put two and two together, interpreted dreams, listened to what this figure had to say”
In the world of ‘GUSTO’, Dr Gusto serves as a kind of cosmic therapist, part spiritual guide, part chaotic self. Each track plays like a session. “It was never the plan,” he admits. “I put two and two together, interpreted dreams, listened to what this figure had to say. It all came from healing; it came from quitting vices that no longer served me.”
The result is anything but conventional. Take new single ‘9-2-5’, a high-speed, anxiety-spiked ripper that soundtracks a breakdown in real-time. “‘ 9-2-5’ is the moment Mordecai (my alter ego in the video) wakes up to the reality of his situation,” he says. “It’s about doubt and making decisions. We wanted the video to reflect a turning point, a moment of inner conflict on his path towards individuation.”
BOKO YOUT’s writing often arrives not from structured sessions, but from surrender. “Connecting with my inner being, not resisting, free-flowing and creating the music I want to hear in the world,” he says when asked what he writes about. And when asked why he keeps shapeshifting musically, hopping between post-punk, D&B, hip-hop, dream pop and more? “I’m a student of this life, and everything I create is a reflection of that mindset.”
Still, ‘GUSTO’ wasn’t easy. “Yes,” he says, considering if he learned anything new about himself making the album. “I think I learn something about myself and the creative process in every project. It’s important for me to push towards the unknown to grow and find new states of mind.”
“I’m a theatre kid at heart”
Right now, though, the focus is less on writing and more on living. “I want to travel and meet new people. Stockholm can feel isolating at times. I’m looking for like-minded people.” It’s a longing that ties into his wider vision for BOKO YOUT as a project. “Travelling with the music, meeting new people and seeing new places feeds my hunger for life. Art connects the dots for me.”
And as for his favourite part of the whole process? No contest. “I love playing live. I’m a theatre kid at heart, and having the stage as an outlet is a blessing. It’s so bizarre, yet, somehow, remains the only thing I look forward to the most while I’m in the studio.”
Outside of music, he keeps things nerdy. “Recently, I’ve been very into Magic the Gathering,” he adds. Of course, he has.
It’s this blend of esoteric wisdom and offbeat charm that makes BOKO YOUT so compelling, a spiritual adventurer with a cracked iPad, a theatre kid chasing transcendence. Somewhere between a therapy session and a rave, his world is bizarre, beautiful and only just getting started.
BOKO YOUT’s album ‘GUSTO’ is out 5th September.
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