Give us a little background information about Afrokoko Roots. How long have you been performing together?

It's an international Afrobeat outfit that I founded in Beijing three years ago. I founded it in order to show Chinese people that Africa is beyond what they see and hear on TV. For the purpose of cultural exchange, I hope it can help the Chinese learn about African culture, music, fashion, history and much more. Our band features two dancers, two backup singers, two percussionists, four brass players, a keyboard player, a guitar player and a drummer – and me as the lead vocal, drummer and dancer, which makes for live performances that are equally exciting sonically as they are visually. We have been traveling around, and so far, we have toured and performed in many Chinese cities such as Dalian (Liaoning Province), Hohhot (Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region) and Haikou (Hainan Province).

The band is very multicultural. How do you keep things running smoothly? What message is Afrokoko Roots trying to convey?

Music is a universal language. Members of our band hail from Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda, Burundi, the United States, the Philippines, the Caribbean, Brazil, Cuba, France, Australia and China. But we play one music, one sound and one beat. When we sing, play and dance, we want to preach hope, peace, harmony and love. Whether you are black, yellow or white, we are one: one spirit, one mind and one soul. There should be no discrimination, no segregation, no racism.

You have toured across Europe, North America, the Caribbean and Asia. How do audiences at your concerts differ from place to place?

They all love our performances and appreciate the energy and the dynamic in our music. Our performances onstage, the costumes, our appearance, the way we interact with the audience and with [each other], all make our music unique. In Europe, the audience saw it as something "new." In America, they are yelling [for] highlife, but some of them haven't heard of highlife fusion. The best audience we have had so far is the Chinese. Their reaction is awesome. The way they react… it is like magic to them, the first time they see the painting [on our faces] and the costumes. They are crazy about our band, and sing, dance, and even play the music [along with us].

Can you talk a little bit about your band's onstage presence, your use of face painting and costumes? Why is interacting with the audience important to you?

I call it dignity. It's the style, the image that represents Africa. The painting on our face, the costumes we wear, represent Africa as a whole. Music is a universal language and it comes from the heart. You have to interact with your audience, let them be part of your performance, and let them know what you are playing. When I play music, sing or dance, I mean something. So communication is very important.

What are your plans next year?

Next year it's going to be different. We will have more tours and most of the income that we make as a band will go toward charity. I am also thinking of producing new [music]. For example, we will integrate some traditional Chinese instruments such as guzheng (a Chinese plucked zither) and erhu (a two-stringed bowed instrument) in our recordings. I've been teaching African drumming and dance workshops around China. We're going to open a music school and a recording studio.

We hosted China's first Afrobeat festival last year and I hope we can hold it every year. There are more things I want to do, as the relationship between China and Africa is deepening. I will teach people more about African culture, bring in more African music, fashion – everything. We have a big dream.