Ghanaian-Dutch musician Fadu is set to join 10,000 young leaders from 191 countries at the International Festival of Youth 2026 in Russia.

Fadu, known in real life as Faduad Hammond, will be among thousands of young people attending the festival in Yekaterinburg from 11 to 17 September 2026.

The festival will bring together 10,000 young leaders from 191 countries for a week of cultural exchange, creativity, innovation and global collaboration.

Fadu’s participation comes as the musician continues to introduce her sound to new audiences, following the release of visuals for her latest single, Body.

Speaking about the song and the creative direction behind it, Fadu said she was determined to bring her distinctive rhythm and musical identity to audiences worldwide.

“I added electric guitar into ‘Body’ because guitar has always been a big part of my identity. I started playing guitar at a young age and became obsessed with it from that moment on,” she said.

“For me, especially with electric and bass guitar, there’s an edge that naturally comes with it. It adds attitude and character without completely changing the sound of a track.”

She said that while Body has a smooth and playful feel, she deliberately avoided making the song sound overly sweet or one-dimensional.

“The guitar adds that extra edge. And honestly, that contrast represents me too. My energy can come across as soft, but I also have this boldness too,” she said.

“The music that I put out is a direct reflection of myself,” Fadu added.

The Ghanaian-Dutch artiste has steadily built a catalogue of songs including Go Away, Ride4u, Follow Me, Feelings, Number 1, Desire, Far Away and Party, which are available on digital streaming platforms.

A nominee at the Ghana Music Awards Europe in 2024 and 2025, Fadu has also performed at the MIM Life Concert in Tema and at the Dr Likee Show in London this year.

Her growing presence on the music scene has positioned her among emerging artistes seeking to take their sound beyond Ghana’s borders, with the upcoming festival providing another international platform for cultural exchange and networking.

The International Festival of Youth 2026 will be held under the motto “Follow Your Dream” and is being organised under the Russian Federation’s national project on Youth and Children.

The Yekaterinburg edition builds on the legacy of the World Youth Festival held in the Sirius Federal Territory in 2024, which brought together about 20,000 young people from 190 countries.

It was followed by the World Youth Festival Assembly in Veliky Novgorod, which hosted about 2,000 young people from 120 countries.

This year’s festival will include 5,000 Russian citizens and 5,000 foreign nationals, among them 1,000 teenagers aged between 14 and 17.

For Fadu, the festival presents an opportunity to take her music and creative identity into a global space where young people from across continents will converge to share ideas, culture and ambition.