Music artiste Ria Boss, born Maria Emmanuelle Grace Bossman-Damiba, has announced plans to release four EPs before the end of the year, alongside her monthly Ria Boss Open Mic series, with an album scheduled for next year.
Ria Boss made the disclosure on the maiden episode of FrancoVybz, a new podcast from YFM in partnership with the Embassy of France in Ghana, which explores the connections between Ghana and the Francophone world through music, culture, creativity, education and business.
Speaking about her upcoming projects, Ria Boss revealed that her final quarter of the year will be particularly busy, with new music and her regular live event series.
“Aside from the releasing of music, I have my monthly Ria Boss Open Mic event that happens, so the next one will be in August. I’m also putting out four EPs before the end of the year and my album comes out next year. It’s a busy last quarter for me.”
Beyond her upcoming releases, Ria Boss is also building stronger creative links with the Francophone world.
She revealed that she worked on a residency in Paris, where she connected with French composers who will feature on her upcoming album. She also hinted at the possibility of working with a major French producer on a future project.
For Ria Boss, international collaboration is not simply about working with another artiste. She explained that collaborations can help artistes connect with new audiences and tap into each other’s demographics, while also extending to other creative professionals such as producers and music video directors.
She believes Ghanaian artistes need to be more intentional about looking beyond the country’s borders and thinking about their careers on a global scale.
“If Ghanaian artistes start thinking on a global scale, definitely, we need to think around crossing those borders.”
Ria Boss also noted that Ghana has an opportunity to do more in building connections with the Francophone creative space, particularly through collaborations and greater intentionality.
Her comments form part of the wider conversation on the maiden episode of FrancoVybz, which examines the cultural, creative and professional links between Ghana and the Francophone world.
Hosted by award-winning broadcaster Rev. Erskine, FrancoVybz airs on YFM every Saturday at 3:30pm, with a repeat on Wednesdays at 10pm. The podcast is also available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Audiomack.