EP Review: ‘In Pursuit of Happiness’ – Baaba J

There’s something magical about the way Baaba J paints with sound. She creates space for emotions that feel both intimately personal and universally resonant. On her third EP, “In Pursuit of Happiness,” Ghanaian artist Baaba J doesn’t just continue the journey she began with “Lumumba St.” and “Okay Baby, Let’s Do This,” she elevates it. You can feel an artist who has mastered the art of the slow burn.

Baaba J creates technicolor with her latest EP, “In Pursuit of Happiness,” with authenticity and joy that refuses to compromise. The EP feels like watching a butterfly emerge—beautiful, deliberate, and right on time.

EP Breakdown: Baaba J Breaks Free

The lead single, “Ah Well,” produced by the masterful Juls featuring Nigeria’s Olapado, isn’t concerned with bombastic energy. Instead, it seduces with rhythm, delivering the kind of palmwine highlife that belongs to watching the sunset at Labadi Beach or vibing at your auntie’s weekend cookout. “Is it okay if I said I don’t wanna hide a thing?” she asks, her voice carrying the weight of past concessions and the lightness of newfound freedom. The lyrics cut straight to the bone: “Every time I compromised, I did it just to pay for this.” It’s an emphatic opening salvo in an EP that never loses its way. No games, just truth.

From the breezy energy of “Ah Well,” “Human “shifts the tone to something more introspective. The track echoes Baaba’s earlier releases, particularly “227” from her previous EP, but with a maturity that feels earned.

“Here Comes The Sun” feels like the EP’s centerpiece, a burst of optimism that arrives right on time. The track brims with cultural pride, drawing from the vibrant sounds of Ga music. The track draws from Wulomei’s legacy but makes it fresh. Whoever matched Baaba J with B4bonah deserves a raise. They sing with conviction, and B4bonah  delivers one of his best verses since his return to music. Baaba J’s words are a gentle nudge to hold onto one’s origins: “Never ever forget where you from.” The chemistry between her and B4Bonah is magnetic.

Baaba doesn’t linger in one mood. With “Runaway,” she shifts gears, diving into jazz-disco terrain with Seyyoh of SuperJazzClub collective. It’s cinematic and for me the song could easily score a scene in “Stranger Things,” with its retro undertones and emotional weight. If you grew up on alte but also mess with SuperJazzClub’s stuff, this one’s gonna hit you in the feels.

Sure, “Sunshine” despite being one of the pre-released singles might feel like an intermission in the EP’s flow. It might slightly interrupt the project’s momentum in its current placement. Regardless, it stands as a beautiful piece of craft on its own merits. But even this moment of pause carries its own light. Sometimes you need to breathe before you soar.

The title track brings everything home with an exhilarating flourish. “I’ve got 90 days to go till I’m a free man,” she declares, before promising to “lose my mind and have the time of my life.” It’s the perfect distillation of the EP’s thesis: that the pursuit of happiness isn’t just about the destination – it’s about embracing every step of the journey, even the messy parts.

“In Pursuit of Happiness” – A Journey Worth Taking

What makes “In Pursuit of Happiness” remarkable isn’t just its lack of fillers or its clever compositions, though both are worth celebrating. It’s the way Baaba J has managed to curate something that feels both carefully crafted and utterly free, a collection that honours her roots while refusing to be bound by anyone’s expectations but her own. This EP brilliantly celebrates growth, and most importantly, an invitation to join in the pursuit of joy, whatever form that might take.

Listen to Baaba J’s ‘In Pursuit of Happiness’

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