Jackline Acheampong, known professionally as Gyakie, also called Songbird, is a Ghanaian R and B and Afro fusion singer. The 25-year-old Ghanaian R and B and Afro fusion singer dropped her first-ever album titled “After Midnight” in August 2025.
Gyakie’s debut album, After Midnight, is a cohesive and personal 17-track project that explores themes of love, self-discovery, and healing, blending R and B, Afropop, Highlife, and other genres. Critics praise the album for showcasing Gyakie’s artistic and vocal growth, her vulnerability, and her ability to produce a diverse yet unified body of work. The title reflects the late-night creative sessions that inspired much of the music.
Track by Track Breakdown
After Midnight opens with “Intro”, a ceremonial entry point that draws from Ashanti traditional percussion. Cinematic strings rise into a rapid wail, while tambourines and bass inject energy, grounding the piece with Hip Hop drums and rattling hi hats. Soft ululations from Gyakie drift in the background before a trance like group vocal locks into a hypnotic chant of, “We’re here, we’re here, we’re here, again”. The spell is abruptly broken by the sound of a morning alarm, ushering After Midnight properly into being.
“Fire on the Mountain” follows with simple strummed guitar chords, airy piano, Afroswing drums, and a gliding sub bassline, crafting a spacious backdrop for Gyakie’s rapid fire, semi rapped Twi verses. These are tempered by softly sung English sections, as she laments the emptiness of lacklustre romances. Her phrasing makes the ache palpable:
“One time when I gave love a taste
Why I go love when it’s tasteless …
Roller coasting loving, I rebuke it for myself
If you want to love me, every single action for dey show.”
On “Damn U”, filtered synth plucks intertwine with Afro Swing percussion, countermelodies, and a pulsing synth bass to form a moody frame. Gyakie’s delivery hovers between R and B and Afrobeats in tone, aching with unmet expectation. After Midnight’s first guest, 6lack, enters with his trademark laid back R and B stylings, shadowed by Gyakie’s sweet ad libs to create a duet that feels like a wounded conversation.
“Harmattan” shifts to brighter textures, with arpeggiated string plucks and syncopated Afro fusion drums, fattened by 808s and bass. Subtle strings and sudden horn stabs punctuate Gyakie’s spirited delivery, her almost rapped lines bursting with personality:
“Make I defend your body like Alaba
Clearly, I don dey craze for your matter
Make my body to bend like avatar
Cold just dey enter body like harmattan.”
Shatta Wale’s energetic patois verse doubles down on the song’s fire.
With “Y2K Luv”, Gyakie draws on her lineage, weaving a sped up sample from her father, Nana Acheampong, into an instrumental built on flat shakers, plasticky guitar strums, DJ scratches, and ghostly backing vocals. The result is pure throwback, evoking the essence of early 2000s R&B. Omar Sterling of R2Bees adds nostalgic grit, amplifying the song’s playful charm.
“Sankofa”, the lead single, drapes itself in an emotive atmosphere of reversed piano chords and cinematic Afrobeats percussion. Gyakie moves fluidly between Twi and English, offering intimate lyrics:
“Beginning to think I don’t need another lover
Found you today, I don’t wanna go back
I don’t want to be with a Casanova.”
Strings and plucks swell as her voice belts, transforming the confession into an anthemic plea.
“The After Midnight Interlude” softens everything into a lullaby. Jazzy, smooth piano chords roll gently as Gyakie sings in airy tones, whispering:
“Oh baby, I love you
I love you, Oh I love
Wherever you are, I wanna get close to you
All day long.”
It is an intimate transition into the album’s second half.
“I’m Not Taken” livens the record again with electric guitars layered over disco-kissed Afroswing drums and bright synths. The energy is joyful, but Gyakie’s lyrics underline her stance clearly:
“Until you make this right, until you ask me out
Until you want this now, baby I’m not taken.”
Headie One’s narrative rap blends smoothly with her harmonies before Gyakie soars into a bold, pop-leaning chorus.
With “No One”, sombre mallet chords, warm pads, and light percussion create a contemplative space. Gyakie speaks directly to the listener:
“So look at yourself in the mirror
Do you like what you see?
Yes, you do, no you don’t …
I’m asking for motivation
And it’s all in this song.”
It becomes a quiet but powerful self-affirmation anthem.
“House Party” brings peak energy with Young Jonn’s Street Hop styled production, driven by choppy stabs and pattering Afrobeats percussion. Young Jonn begins:
“You know the night is young
And we’re famous and young
And I don’t really send nobody
I don’t care anymore.”
Gyakie enters with rapid fire Twi, and together they ignite the chorus with log drums.
“Unconditional” adds a touch of Amapiano while keeping an Afrobeats core. Drums pound beneath pads, strings, and guitar flourishes. Gyakie’s hook becomes hypnotic in its simplicity:
“It’s you and I for life
Come and give me love, you no for pay
Want make you dey my body, make I feel okay
This be unconditional, you no for pay me.”
Finally, “Hallelujah” closes the album on a high. Gospel group vocals sing praises over strummed guitars, syncopated percussion, and a thick bassline. Gyakie encourages the listener:
“Rome wasn’t built in a day
So pick up your tools and build right from scratch
If I did it, and if he did it, and if she did
Then you can do it too.”
Sermon snippets fade into the outro, leaving the listener with hope and motivation.
Themes and Artistic Strengths
- Vulnerability and Introspection
- The night metaphor is central. Gyakie explores memories, regrets, love, fears, and reflections.
- Emotional honesty is as present as musicality.
- Healing and Self-Discovery
- Many tracks feel like diary entries, processing heartbreak and growth.
- She describes the album as being about becoming, embracing every version of herself.
- Legacy and Roots
- By sampling her father, she connects her journey to her musical heritage.
- The mix of Highlife elements and modern production reflects a balance of tradition and modernity.
- Cultural and Global Fusion
- With collaborators from Ghana, Nigeria, the United States, and the United Kingdom, the album feels global without losing its Ghanaian identity.
- The blend of Afro fusion, R and B, and alternative elements gives the project a cinematic texture.
- Creative Process and Late-Night Inspiration
- Gyakie writes much of her music literally in the dark.
- The night-time setting allows her to access deeper emotional truths.
It may seem unusual that After Midnight is Gyakie’s debut album, considering how prominent she has been for years. This reflects both her early success and the fact that she is still early in her artistic evolution. This album marks the stage where she not only asserts herself as a leading voice but also begins her journey as a producer, sharing credits across the track list. It showcases both maturity and room for further growth.
Her song writing maintains the spiritual sincerity of her breakthrough hit “Forever”. She has developed a more advanced use of harmony and layered backing vocals for depth, though her lead melodies still rely on simple, clear delivery in her comfortable lower range. When she pushes into higher notes, it becomes obvious how powerful that unexplored range can be.
The production brings much of the album’s colour, leaning on Afroswing while expanding into Amapiano, Afropop, and R and B. This sonic diversity allows Gyakie to shift her vocal approach and avoid monotony. Featured artists add contrast and elevate the dynamics of the songs. Energy, texture, and memorable moments are consistently present.
Overall Verdict
After Midnight is a strong and deeply personal debut album for Gyakie. It is not just a playlist of songs, but a confession of her dreams, her challenges, her heritage, her emotional world, and her evolution.
If you appreciate music that feels like a late-night conversation, soulful, honest, and emotionally rich, this album will resonate. It is also a clear statement: Gyakie is not just preserving a legacy, she is building her own.
