Review: Adekunle Gold’s ‘Catch Me If You Can’
Adekunle Gold is standing firm in his convictions, extremely secure of who he is as an artist and a person.
In the summer of 2018, aka the summer of “YE,” “In My Feelings” and an embarrassing deadbeat father reveal, Adekunle Gold delivered arguably the most confounding moment of his career. Almost a year out from his sophomore LP, ‘About 30’, AG shared a cover of Drake’s “Emotionless,” spitting a verse that mostly centred around his decision to try something as left-field as rapping. Between his hackneyed cadence and imperfect timing over the soul-sampling beat, it was hard to reconcile what one was hearing with the artist we had come to know over the years. It’s a very minor scandal, but it’s quite symbolic for that period of the singer’s intriguing career timeline.
After earning widespread adulation with the genial folk and excellent musicianship of his debut album, ‘Gold’, Adekunle Gold marked his third decade around the sun with an LP that was eager for radicalness. There he was, mourning the aftereffects of fame, angrily hosing down an unfaithful partner, throwing insulting screeds at a well-known online scammer, while expanding his sonic purview, from the Juju and Yoruba folk-inspired canvas of his debut, to include EDM, Igbo Folk, Afrobeat, and Gospel. This was Adekunle Gold rebelling against the image he had created, a wide-eyed writer who initially christened his sound Urban Highlife; now, he was more combative and disavowed the very notion of genre—up to the point of an ill-advised try at rapping.
In the opening moments of AG’s fourth album, ‘Catch Me If You Can’, he references that pivotal turn into age 30 that catalysed that small musical identity crisis and, most importantly, offered a self-aware criticism: he was living for everyone but himself.
Five years later, it’s impossible not to deem Adekunle Gold as a man that moves to the beat of his own drum—even if you’re sceptical, the clamour around his evolution is enough evidence. “Born Again,” the song that opens this recent 14-song set, feels like a spiritual successor of the eponymous opener from his debut.
Where “Gold” set an eager tone as an acapella introduction, this new opener is an impressive turn in self-assured portraiture, as each descriptive line about his life—“I know that I count on me, and I’m blessed with Adejare”—is sung with impenetrable poise. The chopped up interpolation of Malian singer Fatoumata Diawara’s modern classic, “Nterini,” is slightly unnecessary as a flex but it isn’t soulless within the song’s purpose. With the interaction between both intros, and the electro-folk bent of “Born Again,” which isn’t too far from Gold’s musical wheelhouse, ‘Catch Me If You Can’ is the closest thing yet to a full circle moment with AG’s debut.
Artistic evolution is prominently discussed within the context of artists discarding their past selves in favour of creating music that they deem to be more fulfilling. A lot of the time, though, it’s just improvements and adjustments being made until the artist reaches a seemingly better situation. Adekunle Gold is an easy example as a former folk-pop hero turned pop powerhouse. Artists evolve for several reasons, but the most cited and perhaps most intriguing is the realisation that the imagined perks of breaking out don’t always match the reality. That was the crux of AG’s commendably experimental but uneven sophomore LP, and what followed was a grip of sleek pop singles, signalling a recalibration of objectives.
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By 2020’s ‘Afro Pop, Vol. 1’, the renovation was complete. At six songs shorter than both preceding albums, AG’s third full-length is decidedly more eclectic, leaning into the global trend of pop music being an amalgamation of different influences into a glossy whole. Even Afropop, the genre its title references, is an expansive soundscape that factors in both local and imported influences. Beneath all of this stylistic tinkering, you would be hard-pressed to claim Adekunle Gold had changed his thematic interests. While his writing angles have widened beyond blue-eyed romance and aspirational quips, his current reflection reads as a man who has a better understanding of worldly complexity, but his music still revolves these familiar themes.
The same can be said for ‘Catch Me If You Can.‘ Like each of its predecessors, though, the general candour keeps things from being recycled. ‘Gold’ had manifested dreams as its compass, ‘About 30′ was an exercise in re-interrogation, and ‘Afro Pop, Vol. 1′ showed confidence. With his fourth, Adekunle Gold is standing firm in his convictions, extremely secure of who he is as an artist and a person. Throughout this album, AG sings with the sure-footedness of someone that doesn’t have much to prove, to listeners or to himself. It’s the next logical chapter, and it also makes sense that it’s a refined culmination of everything that came before.
Musically, the new album is an intersection between the rustic influences of early AG, and the contemporary flair of Nigerian pop music. It’s timely, considering how older forms of Nigerian music has become an inseparable part of the current pop landscape, a tenet Adekunle Gold was championing six-plus years ago. A significant portion of ‘Catch Me If You Can’, especially its opening third, is defined by the rhythmic melding of local percussion and indelible bass guitar riffs, not unlike the musical direction from his past work.
On early highlight, “Mase Mi,” frequent collaborator Blaise Beat combines a gurgling bass guitar line with robust drum, forming a lively counterpart to AG’s soulful rebuke of the devil. The TMXO-produced “Win” is driven by bubbling talking drums couched inside a rumbling bass, bringing emphasis to the singer’s declarative tone. The heart of this album is in the opening line of the song: “In my lifetime, people I fit die for dem be like two.”
Pop stars living and extolling the domestic life aren’t generally regarded to be alluring or riveting. In society, being married with kids is beige, making it difficult for it to be portrayed in music as exciting. To his credit, Adekunle Gold makes monogamy sound pretty swell on ‘Catch Me If You Can’. While his daughter gets a significant mention on the intro, it’s plausible to claim that the main inspiration here is his wife, the multi-talented singer Simi. Through this lens, the moments of hubris are given emotional gravitas, because his self-conviction is backed by the knowledge that there’s unconditional love flowing towards him from those in his corner. It’s a widely regurgitated claim, but there has to be some truth in your chosen family fuelling you to become a better person.
The overwhelming majority of the romance-themed songs on this album revolve around devotion, a relatable theme that’s made more meaningful by the singer’s own life. The ultra-groovy deep cut, “More Than Enough,” celebrates a long-term relationship with both parties sticking with each other through their early career days and into a financially abundant present. On the pre-released single, “Sinner,” which remains a delightful highlight here and features a sublime Lucky Daye verse, Simi famously played the role of the magnetic muse in the accompanying video. In a remarkable accomplishment, Adekunle Gold gets an ever-ready Lothario, the American R&B superstar Ty Dolla $ign to champion being a “one woman man.”
What these sort of songs lack in range or tension, they make up for in wonderful execution. They only misstep is the Tay Iwar-produced “Sleep,” an Afropop-inflected R&B tune that doesn’t flatter AG’s attempts at sex-crazed moxie and falsetto delivery. Over the course of his discography, it’s clear Adekunle Gold shines brightest when he’s accompanied by full-bodied arrangements, complementing the folksy beauty embedded in his voice. On “Dior, Dior, Dior,” the track opens up with guitars that plays into the acoustic pop-soul of featured artist Foushee, but a recognisable percussion groove lands and AG sounds right at home while accommodating his guest.
It’s arguable that the best feature on ‘Catch Me If You Can’ belongs to Davido’s energetic appearance on runaway smash, “High,” not just for its sheer value, but also in how it underlines AG’s honed capacity as a pop songwriter and performer. (“Love is not enough/baby, come to me, mo l’owo” is every bit as scintillating as “wake up and jumpstart/I go chop you like oha.”) Also, the tribal house-meets-amapiano banger is a phenomenal touch of versatility on an album that gleefully basks in fulfilment—but fulfilment doesn’t always equal constant satisfaction.
The thing is, taken together with the rest of his catalogue, ‘Catch Me If You Can’ is a resolution point in the linear narrative of Adekunle Gold’s career. With every resolution, there has to be a new beginning—or at least a continuation—which begs the question of where the singer goes next. That answer will come in the future, but here, that trudge to optimal self-assurance is beyond remarkable.
ICYMI: THE AWE-INSPIRING EVOLUTION OF ADEKUNLE GOLD
Tems Partners With Hennessy For Leading Vibe Initiative
Launching in Lagos, Nigeria, this event pioneered by Tems marks the beginning of a continent-wide movement to...
In July, Tems announced the Leading Vibe Initiative (LVI) to support women in music and the creative space on their journey to make a mark in their fields and create space for other women in those industries. Born from Tems’ journey as a self-taught artist with a focus on driving change, the initiative offers training, mentorship, industry access, and community for women in music in Africa.
After a rigorous selection process for its inaugural cohort, Hennessy will join the two-time Grammy Award-winning star to celebrate the launch of the Leading Vibe (LVI) Initiative in Lagos, Nigeria. Held from August 8 to 9, 2025, the two-day event is the beginning of a bold new chapter in Hennessy’s long-standing commitment to music and culture in Africa.
“I’m excited to partner with Hennessy in bringing this initiative to life, supporting talented young women in music as they find their voices, embrace their power, and shape the future of the industry across Africa and beyond,” Tems said about the partnership.
The Leading Vibe Initiative aims to champion the next generation of female artists, producers, songwriters, and music professionals, increasing representation within all areas of music across the continent and beyond.
With Hennessy as lead partner, this ambitious program kicks off with an immersive event in Lagos featuring curated workshops, networking moments, and panel discussions led by top-tier talent from across the global and African music industries.
“Her vision, talent, and purpose align deeply with Hennessy’s legacy of championing those who push boundaries and redefine the world around them. We’re honored to support the Leading Vibe Initiative and to continue empowering African communities and cultures,” said Vincent Montalescot, Hennessy Global Chief Marketing Officer.
Hennessy’s partnership with Tems builds on the brand’s decades-long history of supporting music and artistic expression globally and on the continent. From Hip-Hop to Afrobeats, Hennessy continues to stand beside the artists and communities that shape culture.
In Africa, the Maison has deepened its commitment through meaningful initiatives like In the Paint and now, with the Leading Vibe Initiative, is taking a focused step toward amplifying women’s voices in music. With the Lagos launch as a powerful first step, the Leading Vibe Initiative will expand across Africa and globally, creating a cross-continental network of empowered women ready to shape the future of African music.
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True Clrs Want People To Dance
True Clrs, a travelling party series launched by Adeola Kofoworade and Menab Tesfu, aims to bring the dance...
One of the more pressing topics of discussion amongst party-goers today is the curious question of why people don’t dance at gatherings anymore. While partying, theoretically, includes other activities like talking to strangers, getting drinks, and conducting business, it is primarily geared towards dancing and living in the moment.
These days, however, there seems to be more emphasis on these other activities than actual partying. People are doom scrolling on the dancefloor or are more occupied with trying to take the perfect selfie. Enter: True Clrs, a travelling party series launched by Adeola Kofoworade and Menab Tesfu that aims to bring the dance back to the parties by centering on the richness of African sound and the communities that love it.
“We found that there were a lot of parties in Dallas that had cultures that didn’t encourage dancing or interaction between customers,” Kofoworade tells The NATIVE about the inspiration for True Clrs over a Google Meet conversation in July. “Seeing how parties were being thrown in L.A., New York and other places in Europe, we thought to bring that idea here to Texas.”
Since its inception in 2023, True Clrs has hosted over 15 editions of its travelling party series across cities in the United States. In addition to a dedicated real-life following that engages with their series, they have also cultivated a robust online presence thanks to their meticulous branding and active CRLS YouTube page that features various thrilling DJ sets.
Ahead of the latest Houston edition of True Clrs, which featured ODUMODUBLVCK and Sarz headlining the Global Sounds Stage and others like Native SOUND SYSTEM’s DJ Sholz, Lowkey Ade, and Khulumars on DJ duties, we caught up with Adeola Kofoworade to discuss how they’ve managed to position True Clrs as the go-to party series in Texas, what makes them unique, and what their long-term plans are.
What inspired True Clrs?
We originally started True Clrs about two years ago because we noticed that there was a space in Dallas that we could infiltrate. We found that there were a lot of parties in Dallas that had cultures that didn’t encourage dancing or interaction between customers. That’s something pretty notable down here in the South. In clubs, there are a lot of sections and no big dance floors, so people are stuck in their sections without really interacting with other people. Seeing how parties were being thrown in L.A., New York and other places in Europe, we thought to bring that idea here to Texas. At first, we started with Afrobeats and Amapiano-centred parties, but then we started branching out to other genres as well.
How have you been able to position True Clrs as one of the go-to diaspora-focused party series in the U.S, especially in Texas?
We try to be innovative. We always try to make every event better than the last one. So if you came to one of our events the previous month, we try to switch things up and make sure you have a better experience the next time you come. We do this by booking notable DJs from around the country and even around the world. We also started booking a lot more talents. Last year, we had Lancey Foux; we had Sholz, who brought ODUMODUBLVCK; and we also had Skyla Tyla. This year, we’re looking to do more of that so we can always give our audience a notable experience.
How do you balance catering to the African diaspora with appealing to a broader audience that might be unfamiliar with the music and experience?
There are a couple of ways we try to do this. First, since we have monthly events, we try to switch between different genres and vibes. So let’s say, one month we have an Afrobeats and Amapiano party, the next month we could switch to this concept that we call the R&B rave. In the R&B rave, we basically play all types of R&B music, whether it’s old, contemporary or alternative, and we curate a rave-like setting.
We also run this concept where we have like two or three stages playing different genres. We could have one stage playing Amapiano, the other R&B and the other more global sounds. I guess it just depends on the venue we use. But we’re able to offer different experiences even at the same party.
Are there any other unique elements that set the True Clrs experience apart from other nightlife events?
One of our main appeals is recording DJ content. I know DJ content has become saturated recently, but what separates us is that a lot of our content is very genuine. It’s not made up or staged. We get real-time reactions from people. A lot of the time, people don’t even know they’re being filmed. Our content makes us notable, and it’s helped push our brand forward.
Since you began True Clrs, how have you been able to cultivate a strong online presence as well as a thriving community in real life?
With our online presence, it’s really been our content that has helped put us out there. We’ve had a couple of reels or YouTube sets go viral, and that’s definitely helped our online presence. Also, just being the kind of people we are, we take our time when it comes to branding True Clrs. We get a lot of feedback from people regarding our content, and we take it into account moving forward. For our real-life community, my partner and I had already been heavily involved in the entertainment space and the African community here before we began True Clrs. So we got a lot of support when we first started, and we’ve just kept building from there.
What’s the long-term vision for True Clrs? Are there any plans to expand into other U.S. cities or even international markets?
Definitely. Last year, we had our first international event in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. My partner was up there for a holiday, and we decided to throw an event there. In the future, we do plan to expand to other countries, whether in Africa or Europe. With our connections with talents like Lancey Foux, Skyla Tyla, we’re also looking to see if we can put together festivals. That’s what’s on the horizon for True Colors.
What would you say to someone who’s never been to a True Clrs party? What should they expect, and why should they come?
Our goal is community curation through music. So what I would tell someone who’s never been to a True Clrs party is they should come with an open mind. They should trust our DJs because they might hear songs they’ve never heard before and still be able to have a good time. Also, while we don’t force people to interact, we encourage people to interact and dance while listening to good DJs.
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Best New Music: Tiwa Savage and Skepta Are Stuck In A Loop On “On The Low”
After over a decade helming some of the most romantic cuts in Afropop, Tiwa Savage’s dalliance with R&B is...
There are only a few artists in Afropop with the range, longevity, and lustre that Tiwa Savage has. Since she emerged on the Nigerian music scene in 2011, Ms. Savage has set an inimitable standard in terms of platforming the point of view of women at the pinnacle of Afropop, working to show that women are multi-dimensional and layered, capable of going through the motions of joy, angst, distress, and optimism just as much as the next person. By unapologetically leaning into the very minutiae of what makes her tick as a woman, she’s become a fan favourite and an undisputed legend of the genre.
Impressively, she’s done this while making great strides sonically. From the throbbing afropop of ‘Once Upon A Time’ to the swaggering house-inflected triumph of ‘R.E.D,’ and the dense polyrhythmic structure of ‘Celia,’ Tiwa Savage has continued to tincture her R&B-adjacent sound with influences from home and abroad. It is an accurate reflection of Tiwa Savage as a person: grounded by her Lagos heritage but shaped by global influences. For the last six months, she has been talking up her forthcoming fourth album, describing it as a full-throttle return to the R&B sound that was her stock in trade before she returned to Nigeria in 2011 to establish herself as an Afropop powerhouse.
In April, she released the emotive “You4Me,” clearly establishing the direction for her new album, ‘This One Is Personal.’ Produced by Mystro Sugar, “You4Me” put a fresh spin on Tamia’s ’90s classic “So Into You” with percussion work by Magicsticks adding a decidedly Afropop sheen to the song. Upping the ante, Tiwa Savage returned with “On The Low,” a delightful sung-rap bop featuring British-Nigerian rapper, Skepta. Like “You4Me” before it, “On The Low” is steeped in R&B tradition, finding Tiwa Savage pining after a love that feels like a taboo or forbidden pleasure. Produced by Rymez and Mystro, it is a surefire pointer that Tiwa Savage wasn’t joking when she said ‘This One Is Personal’ had overt R&B influences.
After over a decade helming some of the most romantic cuts in Afropop, Tiwa Savage’s dalliance with R&B is helping to propel her artistry to new heights. Just as the soundtrack for ‘Water & Garri,’ her debut as a filmmaker, pared down universal emotions like longing, desire, and anxiety into digestible bits on standouts like “I Need You,” “Lost Time,” “Love O,” her latest song chronicles the intangibles of a romance that’s quite not out in the open. “I know you want to link on the low / We have to stay discreet, you don’t know,” she sweetly intones on the song’s hook, clearly obfuscating the true status of the relationship but revealing just enough to let her listeners know that the dynamic of this relationship is not the usual.
It’s a premise that is established from the opening lines of the song when Skepta breezily starts with an offer to travel, presumably after being unavailable for a while. “Yeah, I’m off tour, we should celebrate / Dedicate some time for you, baby, it’s a date,” he says. It sets off a sequence where Tiwa Savage admits to being annoyed by the complexities of this relationship.
Still, there’s something about the thrills of these tenuous romances that keeps one tethered to them, and Tiwa Savage manages to capture the dilemma of the situation when she sings, “Boy, you make me stressed, you don’t know / Then you send me sweet texts on the low.” Her measured delivery and tonal inflections lend an air of believability to the story that would be inaccessible in lesser hands.
It helps that even as she revisits her R&B origins, the singer still maintains a strong connection to the sonic references that made her an Afropop juggernaut. There is seriously impressive percussion across “On The Low” with enough Yoruba ad-libs sprinkled across to remind any doubters that this is a Nigerian star paying homage to an elemental part of her evolution without losing touch with her roots. It sets the stage for This One Is Personal’ perfectly.
Listen to “On The Low” here.
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