Born in Gothenburg but carrying Ghanaian and Eritrean roots, brothers Sammy and Johnny Boakye Bennett transform generational weight into something volatile and ecstatic. As Deki Alem, a name echoing their mother’s heritage and the voices of elders calling them “Alem’s Children”, the duo forge music that feels like both an ancestral echo and a post-pandemic exorcism. From sweaty shows where crowds chant their lyrics like battle cries, to opening for Gorillaz before their debut album even dropped, Deki Alem thrives on tension: resistance and surrender, tradition and rupture, intimacy and riot. With their first full-length Forget In Mass on the horizon, the brothers are ready to stretch their raw catharsis into something mythic.
Your name ‘Deki Alem’ means ‘Alem’s Children’ in Eritrean, what does this homage to your mum and heritage mean for your identity today?
Sammy Boakye Bennett: It means a lot. That’s what we always heard growing up, whenever the elders referred to us, they’d say “Deki Alem.” Hearing it now feels like home. It carries a lot of emotional weight.
You formed the group during COVID, but you began as ‘Bennett’ in 2016. What ended in that era, and what sparked the shift to Deki Alem?
Johnny Boakye Bennett: I’d say the space for reflection that came with the pandemic was what both ended that era and sparked the shift to Deki Alem.
Mixtape Madness mentions you’re a Ghanaian-Swedish duo, how has that mix influenced your writing, visuals, and on-stage energy?
Johnny: Yeah, we’re actually from Ghana and Eritrea, born and raised in Gothenburg, Sweden. I believe it helped us see that there’s never just one way to go about things, there are as many ways of life as there are ways of writing.
Sammy: You can’t help but absorb the cultures you grow up around. And Gothenburg itself is super multicultural, especially on the outskirts of the city. You pick up different styles and different approaches to everything.
Our mother played a huge role in exposing us to different styles of music growing up, she used to host events where musicians from places like Gambia, Iran, Kurdistan, and Somalia would perform. That’s shaped us a lot, opened our eyes, and made us more curious, experimental, and open to all kinds of expression.
You’ve opened for Gorillaz and toured London, Amsterdam & Paris before your debut, what’s a moment from that experience that’ll never leave you?
Johnny: Seeing people, for the first time, turn to their friends and sing our songs straight to their faces while we perform, watching them make the song theirs in that way, is a beautiful experience I could never get tired of.
Live shows seem cathartic, one review even said people leave sweaty but ‘exorcised’. What rituals help you hit that intensity night after night?
Johnny: Eat and pray.
Your new single ‘Fun’ was described as a ‘propulsive ironic surrender anthem’, what’s the personal context behind that? Were you resisting or indulging?
Johnny: Both. The tension and the tug-of-war between the two is what creates the need to surrender.
Your debut album ‘Forget In Mass’ is out now, what’s the biggest leap between EP and full-length?
Sammy: The main difference is the runtime and the intention behind it, I would say. But honestly, putting this album together wasn’t that different from making our EPs. The care, time, and energy we put into both formats was just as intense.
Watch ‘Stray Dog’ below:
