Afro B: How Joanna Changed My Life Forever | Who Started Afro Beats? | £20 gigs to 1 Billion views!

Afro B joins us for one of his most honest and in-depth interviews ever. From growing up in South London to creating the global smash **Joanna (Drogba)**, Afro B breaks down the real story behind one of the biggest Afrobeats records of all time. We discuss the origins of Afrobeats in the UK, his journey from DJ to international artist, working retail at Next while chasing music, building a career independently, and what happened after worldwide fame. He also reveals: How *Joanna (Drogba)* was created in just 15 minutes How Didier Drogba helped make the song go viral The truth about selling the record How much ownership he kept The pressure of following up a global hit Collaborations with T-Pain, French Montana, Ashanti, Vybz Kartel and more Beyoncé, 50 Cent and Shaq co-signing his music Why he's remained independent throughout his career The history and rise of Afrobeats in the UK Building a global audience without a major label His biggest career lessons, regrets and advice for upcoming artists This is Afro B's journey—from £20 gigs to a worldwide hit with over a billion views. If you enjoyed this conversation, don't forget to LIKE, COMMENT and SUBSCRIBE for more long-form interviews with artists, entrepreneurs and cultural icons. #afrobeats #Afrobeats #Joanna #Drogba #Podcast #MusicPodcast #UKMusic #Afroswing #IndependentArtist #musicindustry Chapters: 0:00 intro / title sequence 1:17 Local Geeza Out now! Shizzio X Mc Creed X Big Narstie 1:50 Welcome Afro B / crew / World Cup 4:11 born & bred 5:25 happy slaps 6:25 outside as a kid / gang culture 7:33 nutmeg rush 8:52 avoiding madness / local gangs 10:53 music from young / quit producing 12:41 strict parent beats 14:35 school 16:27 being musical from young 18:07 I was an Afro Beats DJ / Kenny All star 19:06 Afro Beats origin 20:59 where did Afro Beats start from? 23:25 Afro Beats influence / Djing Afro Beats 25:50 Afro B came from Afro Beats 26:35 where did Afro Beats name come from? 27:05 dj to producer / singing on songs 29:20 1st song release / singing on tracks 31:39 PT job at Next / £20 gigs 32:53 dropping songs / Uni 34:32 Artist Vs DJ 35:15 1st UK Afro Beats artist? 36:17 seeing Afro Beats grow in the UK 37:09 when did Afro Beats land? / Afro swing 38:43 moving with times / Tion Wayne collab 40:16 getting bigger / audience swap 42:13 landing as an artist / radio 43:31 UK Drill takes over from Afro Swing 43:31 Afro Beats Africa Vs UK / reading trends 44:44 Making Joanna Drogba 46:40 who is Joanna? 47:28 writing Joanna took 15 mins! 48:25 GOAL! 50:06 posting Drogba Joanna snippets 50:38 why Drogba? 51:43 Drogba posts the song 52:45 Drogba dance challenge / Radio show 56:30 NY / Funk Flex 59:22 introducing Afro Beats to USA / GOAL 1:01:19 USA success / no major label 1:02:51 Summer Jam / money 1:04:05 Shaq O'Neil remix 1:04:55 celeb co-signs / 50 Cent / Beyonce 1:05:57 money made / reinvesting 1:08:19 French Montana / Global remixes 1:09:20 globally wanted / no ego 1:10:37 end of Ivory Coast World Cup match 1:13:09 1B+ total views for Joanna 1:13:32 ideal remix collab 1:14:17 handling global fame 1:15:05 follow up record pressure 1:15:43 selling the song 1:18:24 Joanna Drogba ownership % / selling 1:19:39 trying to beat Drogba / covid / T-Pain collab 1:22:12 T-Pain collab details 1:23:04 independent artist always 1:25:36 lack of consistency / Vybz Kartel collab 1:27:41 British artist? / respect on your name 1:30:15 Ashanti collab 1:32:26 no manager / in-house team 1:34:21 working the world's audience 1:36:14 UK audience VS the world 1:38:17 does the UK hate? / Central Cee 1:41:22 new project / Album VS EP 1:43:45 we invented Twerking 1:45:51 British colonisation 1:46:41 first single release / no feats 1:48:06 evolving sounds 1:49:34 album EP release / new music 1:51:03 Capital Xtra radio show 1:51:29 Afro Beats Mount Rushmore 1:52:33 constant videos / algorithm 1:54:38 AI Q's / Chris Brown collab 1:55:34 collab list / humble 1:57:35 Drogba blessing or curse? 1:58:46 total money made from Joanna 2:00:51 Rihanna aired me 2:01:41 respect 2:02:25 biggest regret 2:03:15 I got sampled without clearance 2:04:43 politics / choices 2:06:10 Air Force 1 supply 2:08:14 inner circle / trends 2:09:08 why is Bhangra not like Afro Beats? 2:13:27 labels / TikTok era 2:13:25 quick fire Q's 2:15:57 meeting Drogba for dinner 2:16:42 quick fire Q's 2:19:42 final message / thank you