Florence Adooni

Name: Florence Adooni
Start: 2025-05-21T19:00:00+01:00
Location: Crookes Social Club

Schedule

Wed, 21 May, 2025 at 07:00 pm

UTC+01:00

Location

Crookes Social Club | Sheffield, EN

Florence Adooni was born to Frafra parents in Kumasi, the capital of the Ashanti kingdom, nestled in the heart of the Ghanaian rainforest. The Frafra people, hailing from the far north of Ghana, have a distinct set of customs that differ greatly from those of the southern Ashanti people. Growing up,
Florence was immersed in both cultures, bridging two worlds from an early age.
Encouraged by her parents, Florence began singing at a young age and soon joined the local church choir, where her remarkable talent quickly became apparent. It wasn’t long before she became the lead singer of her church.
After completing school, Florence helped her mother run a street restaurant, using her earnings to enroll in computer school. However, her passion for music was ever-present—she would often
listen to music and sing along during classes, much to the dismay of her teachers. One day, a teacher, recognizing her talent, took her to a recording studio with a simple deal: record a song, and in return, stop singing during lessons.
The recording session was effortless, and the results astonished everyone involved. The recording engineer was so impressed that he persuaded Florence to record a full album. The result was Ho Sanga La Pa’aya (This Is Your Time), released in 2011. The album became an instant hit within the
Frafra community, selling over 15,000 copies. Overnight, Florence became a rising star in the Frafra Gospel scene. In 2013, she released her follow-up album, Da Sake (Never Give Up), which brought German producer Max Weissenfeldt into her story.
In early 2013, Max visited Bolgatanga, the capital of the Frafra region, to explore the local music scene. It was there that he first heard Florence’s debut album, and one of its tracks, Naba Aferda, particularly caught his attention. The name Florence Adooni lingered in his mind. Later that year, he returned to Bolgatanga, and by chance, crossed paths with Florence. She recalls, "I came from
Kumasi to Bolgatanga to distribute my second album to the local music shops. As I was standing in front of one, a motorbike suddenly pulled up next to me, with a stranger from Europe on the back. He said, ‘Hey, you’re Florence, right? I like what you’re doing. I’ll give you a call,’ and just like
that, he was gone. The next day, he called and asked if I’d like to join his band for a tour in Ghana. I said yes.”
In 2014, Max returned to Ghana with a 12-piece big band to form a supergroup with several prominent Frafra artists, including Guy One, Alogte Oho, Lizzy Amaliyenga (of the Sounds of Joy), Bola, and Florence Adooni. They toured the country for a month, bringing their own PA system and setting up wherever they found an opportunity to play.
Max returned to Ghana in 2015, inviting Florence to participate in the recordings he was doing with Alogte Oho & His Sounds of Joy for the single Mam Yinne Wa. He also featured her on the Guy One track Estre, both of which were released on the Philophon label. In 2016, Max invited Florence to join him and Guy One on a West African tour, which took them to Ghana, Nigeria, Benin, Togo, and Ivory Coast.
In 2018, Florence traveled to Europe for the first time as part of the Guy One group, performing at various festivals. It was during this trip that she met Finnish artist Jimi Tenor at Max’s Joy Sound Studios in Berlin, where they collaborated on the song Vocalize My Luv.
In 2019, Max relocated his studio to Kumasi, which paved the way for Florence’s first international release under her own name. Mam Pe’ela Su’ure was released in early 2021, immediately garnering significant attention. Although touring was not an option at the time, Florence and Max used the
opportunity to assemble an outstanding live band, drawing from the finest talents in the Kumasi Highlife scene.
In 2023, Florence embarked on her first European tour, performing at notable festivals such as Roskilde in Denmark, Down The Rabbit Hole in the Netherlands, and the Haus der Kulturen in Berlin. Later that year, she returned to Europe for a second tour, performing in Spain, France, Switzerland, and Germany. For Germany she was joined by German artist Erobique, with whom she
had released a single on Philophon, to introduce their new release to German audiences.
In 2024, Florence and her band undertook a 50+ concert tour across Europe, performing in countries including Portugal, Italy, Switzerland, France, the UK, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Estonia, and Russia—all largely based on a single song: Mam Pe’ela Su’ure. The anticipation surrounding her forthcoming full album is immense, and it will be exciting to see how it impacts her career.