Victony is living through seismic changes in his life and he wants you to know through his music. After the emotionally-taxing toll of making sense of his come-up story on ‘Stubborn’ and ‘Very Stubborn,’ the singer is stepping into a new era with his forthcoming album, ‘Starlife.’ It’s the product of a recalibration of his attitude towards music stardom. “I think the biggest transformation has been just looking back at everything and recognizing that being in the music space or being an artist is an opportunity for me to live,” the singer told Apple Music’s Africa Now Radio. 

Accepting that there is not so much of a wall of difference between his life as Victony the singer and human has allowed him to embrace the fullest version of himself yet. “For the longest, I used to always see it as a job; like we have to do this, we have to do that,” he explains. “I think just giving myself the grace, like, I’m also human, and this is something that I’m living through, this is an experience as well. I don’t necessarily need to separate it too much from my life as a person.” The process of holding space for himself has opened up a new lane of expression within the singer, leading to songs like “FRE$H” and “SLICK” that hint at a brave new direction for him on ‘Starlife.

This interview has been edited for clarity.

What does “FRE$H” represent for you?

“FRE$H”is a fun song but it also represents me stepping into a new era. I’m just fully embracing who I am finally. I’m at a place where I’m just really having fun with the music. So at the time I made “FRE$H” more than anything, that’s what it kind of symbolized for me.

How do you feel about “SLICK” being such a massive success?

So with “SLICK,” I’ve been enjoying every bit of the moment. From the recreates to the comments, everything. It makes me happy and I just appreciate that people appreciate my work. 

What was the energy like when making “SLICK?”

To be honest when we were making this song, sometimes I was like, “Well, am I sure?” Because it’s like you said, it’s a mix of all these things and it’s a bit unfamiliar but I guess the exciting part for me is being able to try out something new just based on my influences. My playlist ranges from Playboi Carti to P-Square and when I’m making music, I’m forced to just try out things that I’ve heard. It’s usually just my subconscious working. So, “SLICK” is one of those records where we’re just [trying stuff]. Whenever we were making it, something would come to my head, like even the hook, it’s very Hip-Hop. Doing that combo of the R&B chorus and the Afro verse is such an exciting thing to try. So, that’s just usually what it is. It’s like just pouring in what I listen to.

What was it like collaborating with BNXN on “WHO THIS?”

I think just listening to BNXN’s records of late, he’s been on this wave where he sounds very comfortable with where he is right now. I could just feel he’s very comfortable in his skin and that’s what I felt like I needed to compliment the record. That authenticity was needed because that’s really the bag that I got into to create the record. Obviously it’s his cadence. So, he just really fits like the missing piece and I reached out to him.

How did you make the collaboration choices & features for ‘Starlife?’

Sometimes, I have a record and I don’t even know I need anyone on it until months later. That’s how a lot of the records on ‘Starlife’ came about. I make records and just listen to them in a different space and recognize that it needs this person. The intentionality part of it is always there. We’re always gonna be intentional about how and who we want to put on the record. It’s based on energy. Asides that, I’m a very collaborative person though, so even when I’m not working on music, I always try to see who’s in town because I do believe in the power of collaboration. So I’m always reaching out to my peers like, “Yo, let’s do something.” Young Jonn and I have been trying to make a record, and when I had “Armed and Dangerous,” reaching out to him was very easy. It was just like a continuation of the collaborative process. It wasn’t just an impromptu reach out because I’d been with him in the studio. We had recorded two other songs before then.  AV is family. So, we always make music every now and then. When I have a song, I kind of understand that he’s going to fit into this soundscape very perfectly. So, it’s like it’s a bit of everything: just me as a big collaborator and understanding what needs to go on and being intentional about it. 

If ‘Stubborn’ was about arriving and ‘Very Stubborn’ was about reflecting, then what is ‘Starlife’ about?

I think ‘Starlife’ is about becoming. It’s like this is who I am. That’s really what  ‘Starlife’ is. Over the years, I don’t think I’ve let my personality shine through the music as much. ‘Starlife’ is the phase where I’m like, “You know what? I really just want to do me. I don’t care about anything else.”

Why did you experiment as much as you did on ‘Starlife?’ 

To be honest, I’m always a student of the game. I think I’m going to be a student of the game forever. The more I consume, the more I expand my taste and the more I wanna keep trying these things and just be intentional about having my own signature. For the experimentation, it’s just building the soundscape, giving it a very solid foundation, and all these things you mentioned, like with the chants. It’s like that it gets more intentional with every project. Being opportune to direct this process and experiment with the trials has been very interesting and it just keeps expanding my taste. 

How does it feel to tour and watch your music reach fans around the world?

Sometimes when we’re back home, I don’t think we recognize how much people are in love with what we do. When you travel and you see firsthand the response, you see the love, it’s a very good feeling. I can’t lie. It just makes me feel good and I just appreciate this talent that I have. It also motivates me to want to even do more because I feel blessed. That’s how I feel at the end when I see people just going crazy. Like the Davido tour, I think the last show was 20,000 capacity in DC. Just walking out on that stage and them announcing Victony and people going crazy.  That 10 seconds before you arrive on stage you’re like, “Wow.” They know me this much here. It’s a good feeling.  

What do you think your biggest transformation has been?

I think the biggest transformation has been just looking back at everything and recognizing that being in the music space or being an artist is an opportunity for me to live. For the longest, I used to always see it as a job; like we have to do this, we have to do that. I think just giving myself the grace, like, I’m also human, and this is something that I’m living through, this is an experience as well. I don’t necessarily need to separate it too much from my life as a person. When I recognized that, it just started allowing me to give myself more grace and more time to learn on the job, rather than trying to always get it the first time or always trying to perfect everything.