Since Omah Lay rose to mainstream consciousness during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the Port Harcourt native has built a reputation as one of Afropop’s most conceptual-driven performers, blending sounds and moods in homage to his overarching vision, whether it was exploring the perks of superstardom on ‘What Have We Done’ or working through the emotional trappings of that success on ‘Boy Alone.’

‘Boy Alone,’ his debut album, released in 2022, was a triumph of his approach to making music and set the bar high for what was to come from the singer. Rather than give in to the pressure to craft a quickfire follow-up to ‘Boy Alone,’ the singer disappeared to work on his overall well-being, occasionally sharing singles and hinting at a follow-up to his critically acclaimed debut album. Nearly four years on from ‘Boy Alone,’ that follow-up, ‘Clarity Of Mind,’ has arrived, and per Omah Lay, it’s the sound of refreshment. “This is really clarity of mind, and with all of this resting and all of this chilling and just enjoying life, it just feels like, okay, it’s time,” he says. “It’s time to really start afresh.”

His conversation with Apple Music’s Africa Now Radio has been edited below for length and clarity. 

We’re speaking from the slopes of Austria. You’re skiing right now, how cool is that?

I’m having fun. I was just having fun with my life. And I think that’s the whole essence of my album. This album, ‘Clarity of Mind,’ is really just to enjoy life, you know? Life is really good.

What is ‘Clarity of Mind’ about?

You see, with ‘Clarity of Mind,’ I feel like for a while I kind of like decided to chill. Even though I was chilling, I was still getting Grammy nominations and all of that. But I decided to chill for a minute, take care of myself, take care of my family, put my mind back in the right space, and I really just turned off the world for a while. I just did that, spent time with my family, all of that, but while I was doing that, I was recording music too, you know? Because, you know, that’s my thing. I was recording music, and it feels like I’ve just been inside doing all this healing, all this self-growth, and all of that. I looked at a bunch of records that I made during this time that I’m taking care of myself, and I’m like, “Yeah, this is ‘Clarity of Mind.’ This is really clarity of mind, and with all of this resting and all of this chilling and just enjoying life, it just feels like, okay, it’s time. It’s time to really start afresh. 

What do you think about the creative scene today?

For a while, I’ve just been observing the scene, like our music and African art. I’ve been observing it for a while, and I’ve honestly not been happy. I have honestly not been happy. Not like we’re doing bad,  we’re doing really great. Something new has to happen, you know? There has to be, like the kids, they need to learn something else. They need to see something else, and that’s the whole essence of ‘Clarity of Mind.’ I’ve always wanted to start afresh. So I was like, okay, this is the time to start afresh. 

Why did you tattoo your head?

I’ve always wanted to tattoo my head, like all of my head. So it was like, I’m gonna make this an event. I’m gonna make it cool for my fans. I want to enjoy this moment with everybody. So, from the start of when I shaved off my hair, I’m gonna post it, and I’m gonna take my fans through this journey and make this whole thing an event. Go to the warehouses, invite them to see me tattoo my head, get my piercings, see me real-time, my hair grow while we’re listening to the album, partying from city to city, very private and intimate. Because it’s been a while, I feel like I miss them so much. I miss my fans so much.  With ‘Clarity of Mind,’ it’s like, “Yo, let’s go outside. Let’s have fun. Let’s enjoy this time.” So it’s gonna be one of the greatest gifts of anybody’s life. ‘Clarity of Mind’ is like the thing that I’ve always worked so hard for. Like all the self-growth, all these books, it’s for me to reach that height. So, we’re here. Let’s do it with everybody. I gotta give this to everybody. Everybody has to feel it. Fans have to grow with me. 

What do you want the fans’ reaction to the project to be?

I want the world to listen to this and just feel it for themselves, you know? I don’t want to explain how it happened. At the end of the day, it just boils down to this being my life. My life is going on. It’s really just going on right in front of me.  While some fans and some haters and some people who don’t understand what’s going on think that it’s all fun, it’s really real life. It’s my life happening right in front of me. From ‘Boy Alone,’ which was my last album, that’s really me. That’s me going through it. [I] had to use loneliness for escape, and that was ‘Boy Alone.’ I’m in a place right now where it’s like, “Okay, solitude, a lot of solitude”. And now the solitude brings you clarity. That’s a fact. I’m in a place where it’s like I feel a bit more at peace. I kind of understand things a bit more. I’m grown, a bit more grown-up, and I’m in a place of clarity. This is the season. It’s just my life really happening in front of everybody with sound. So, I don’t want to explain it. I feel like you just soak inside of it, enjoy the music as much as I enjoyed making it for you.

Listen to ‘Clarity Of Mind‘ here.