In late 1979, British synth-pop band The Buggles released their magnum opus; “Video Killed The Radio Star”; a Nostradamus level take on the future of music consumption. Whilst they were referring to the increasing popularity of the television, the title could be updated in 2019 to “Youtube Killed The MTV Star”, and it would be equally factual.
This shift from television sets to YouTube has achieved what every technological advancement in music has done in the last decade: cut out unnecessary barriers to entry. Artists no longer need to hope they make the Channel O countdown, or the TRL hits of the day – anyone can simply upload videos directly to Beyoncé’s Internet, and everyone has access to it.
But with fewer boundaries, comes more filler. Whilst a music video was previously a necessary accompaniment to a lead single, they have become an even more powerful way for an artist to introduce us to their creative worlds. Although it’s not new to this decade, it can’t be denied that since 2010, we’ve seen greater attention to detail and a refreshed laser focus to the the visual art form in Nigeria.
In the last three years especially, we’ve seen some of the strongest music videos we’ve ever had out of the country, and it has ushered in a new generation of young, fearless directors such as Santi, TG Omori, Ademola Falomo, Meji Alabi and more. Where last decade, the videos released in that time didn’t have crossover power, the internet has broadened the reach of these music videos, and have contributed to the appeal of Nigerian artists all over the world.
So as we draw the curtains on the 2010s of Nigerian music, the NATIVE team came together and made a list of all of our favourite music videos through the decade. From the beginning of Wizkid’s career, “Holla At Your Boy”, to Santi taking us on a cinematic experience with the visuals for “Raw Dinner”, here are our picks, in chronological order.
“Lagos Party” – Banky W (2010)
Featuring one of the most iconic hooks of the decade, this Kemi Adetiba-directed video was the perfect welcome into the 2010s, especially looking back now at some of the cameos – Wizkid, Omawumi, Jesse Jagz, P-Square- and the success they’ve had since 2010.
This song was released at peak record label dominance – following the Storm and Mo’Hits runs, EME was the next stable to make you wish you were part of their clique. All the hallmarks of an early 2010s videos were seen within the first 30 seconds: Oversized mansion – check, champagne being poured – check, a seemingly over-formal dress code – check, cut-aways for the verses – check. This video set the tone for what was to come in the early 2010s, and watching it back now, it really wasn’t too far from what Lagos Parties were (and still are!).
“Holla At Your Boy” – Wizkid (2010)
Beyond his reverence in the music scene, we don’t really discuss Wizkid’s influence in the fashion scene, and this has been the case right from his breakout. In his debut video for “Holla At Your Boy”, he’s in school flexing his boyish charm to a love interest.
Many young boys/men could relate to Wizkid around this time, so much that they often also dressed like him. This Patrick Ellis-directed video shows the starting point of the era of multi-coloured inscribed t-shirts, colourful skinny jeans and plaid shirts in the 2010s. Throughout the decade, Wizkid has made several other trends pop in these parts, whilst also making strides in the global fashion industry from walking the Dolce & Gabbana runway alongside Naomi Campbell to modelling a capsule collection for Moschino x Ciroc.
“Mr Endowed Remix” – D’Banj ft Snoop Dogg (2011)
Before the Nigerian music scene evolved into what it is today, D’banj & Don Jazzy ushered in the decade with a Snoop Dogg feature, which they also managed to get a video featuring him in Atlanta.
D’Banj, Snoop Dogg and Don Jazzy exchange flows in a lavish Atlanta mansion, showcasing the pomp and swag we see in many other videos to follow throughout the decade from Davido’s “Fans Mi” to Naira Marley’s “Ma Fo”. This Sesan-directed video is definitely a worthy jewel to crown one of the most dominant runs in afropop history, and is a foreshadowing of sorts of the shift in culture we’re currently experiencing.
“Be My Man” – Asa (2011)
The accurate choreography, vivid colours and a funky retro vibe of Asa’s video already set her apart from her counterparts all the way in 2011. Many other videos in Nigeria at the time we’re quite the standard of an Asa clip, and we’re still enjoying picturesque visuals from the enigmatic star today.
While this wasn’t directed by a Nigerian filmmaker, it definitely upped the ante for those back home and having introduced us to the talent of directors like Meji Alabi, Asa’s contribution to the music industry wasn’t limited to just the music alone.
“Azonto” – Fuse ODG (2012)
Viral dance moves are a part and parcel of West African pop culture, and this has been the case for a very long time. Back in the day, we had popular dance steps like Galala and Makossa, and now this decade from the Azonto to the Zlatan-invented Zanku.
Fuse ODG’s “Azonto” came at the time in the decade when we were shifting to the Internet full time, which immediately gained him attention of West Africans from all over the world.
Dance moves tend to inform the kind of songs we’re getting, as musicians tend to want everyone doing the most popular dance to their song, and the Azonto shaped the sound of a few popular songs at that time. While now, it has been replaced by a more trendy Zanku, other dancemoves such as the shoki, shaku shaku and now zanku, they certainly have the azonto to thank for lighting the way.
“Khona” – Mafikizolo (2013)
Mafikizolo have managed to survive two decades in the game, and in this time succeeded in organically crossing over into the continental market, most notably with 2013’s “Khona”. The song was a tribute to their late bandmate, and it definitely left a lasting impact on South African House music, which has also laid the foundation for the street-hop sound in Nigeria today.
The emotive vocal performance from the band made “Khona” resonate with listeners, while the traditional costumes and art displayed in the video is what successfully bridged the gap between the continents. One could even say that the dashikis in the video also influenced a spark in the trend around that time, which became the trend for Africans, even in the diaspora.
“Pata Pata” – Temi Dollface (2013)
Temi Dollface had a hot moment on the scene, and that was all thanks to how carefully curated her bold and daring looks were. This is what makes her video for “Pata Pata” one of the decade’s standouts, as at this point in the culture, we weren’t getting such thoughtful and careful creation.
With an extensive wardrobe and daring make up, “Pata Pata” presents the vintage texture of a classic American commercial from the 1950s. The style in the video blends retro silhouettes with contemporary African designs, to create stunning visuals for the EDM-fuelled song.
“Onye” – Waje & Tiwa Savage (2014)
Given that this is one of the few female collaborations we’ve had in the entire decade, the song and video (which was also directed by a woman) can’t go unnoticed. In the sultry video, which is an interesting blend of Brandy & Monica’s “The Boy Is Mine” and The Stepford wives, Waje and Tiwa Savage find out that they’re being played by their lover, and end up in a face off as a result.
Although the video contains some tropes that won’t be acceptable in woke 2019, the Kemi-Adetiba video is stunning to look at, and engaging throughout its duration.
“Ojuelegba” – Wizkid (2014)
Being one of his most popular songs, which increased Wizkid’s crossover potential, it made sense that the accompanying video for “Ojuelegba” was a nod to where it all began for him. Set in the bustling area itself, the video is mellow and reflective as we watch as a simply dressed Wizkid boards a Danfo, whilst looking back on his journey to stardom. Clarence Peters does an excellent job of focusing the visual story around the narrative of Wizkid’s come up, and at the same time is giving us a love letter to Lagos to accompany an evergreen anthem.
“Gangsta Fear” – Santi & Odunsi (2016)
As one of the songs which shaped the altè scene as we know it today – featuring one of the strongest music duos we’ve seen this decade – the accompanying video for “Gangster Fear” also serves as a defining moment in Santi’s career as a visual artist. Working closely with Ademola Falomo, Santi presents us his standard scenic and colourful settings, which we’ve grown accustomed to today with videos such as Skepta & Wizkid’s “Bad Energy”, Runtown’s “Redemption”, Odunsi’s “Star Signs” and more.
The video relies heavily on the visual appeal, and we barely see Santi or Odunsi performing their lyrics throughout the video like one would in a typical Nigerian music video. However, in between the scenic cuts of picturesque surroundings, we’re shown several different people vibing to the song the way anyone viewing would be too.
“Soldier” – Simi & Falz (2016)
Today, we all know Falz as a rapper, comedian and award-winning actor, and this acclaim as one of the decade’s most dynamic entertainers was sealed when the video for “Soldier” was released in 2016. The video played into Falz’ penchant to speak about socio-political issues, as it was also a timely reference to grievance against the rife kidnappings around that time.
Falz & Simi’s joint project, Chemistry, fuelled some rumours about a budding relationship, and this video also fanned the fire. Simi’s acting is impressive, as she plays the average girl next door who dismisses Falz’ advances, a trope she’s gone on to portray in her Nollywood debut in Kunle Afolayan’s Mokalik.
“Like Dat” – Davido (2017)
Nigerian-American director, Daps is one of the nation’s biggest exports, having worked with the likes of Young Thug, Nicki Minaj, Migos, Kendrick Lamar and more. This is why it made sense that at the peak of his Back To Basics campaign, with just enough international appeal, Davido enlisted Daps for the video of one of that era’s best songs.
Paying homage to Biggie’s “Mo Money Mo Problems” video, Daps’ direction made “Like Dat” one of the most defining videos of this era, as it was certainly on the mood board for many other directors at that time, including Clarence Peters’ video for “Yé”.
“Science Student” – Olamide (2018)
Olamide’s “Science Student” certainly caught the nation’s attention with his commentary on drug abuse, and the song’s ban by the NBC also created an avenue for discourse around the topic and our country’s attitude towards such social issues. The video follows Olamide’s nightmare-ish journey through an asylum, showing us the the pitiful state of rehabilitation centres in the country, and our negligence towards the rife drug problem.
While his haphazard lyrics might not get the job done, since not everyone understands Yoruba, the video highlights everything the song says, making his middle finger to Nigerian culture and society crystal clear.
“Hate” – Zamir (2018)
Zamir has remained true to the tough-guy persona from all the way back in his LOS days. While his wardrobe choices and carefully curated Instagram page reflect the cold-hearted threats often heard in his raps, the music video for “Hate” remains the most menacing we have ever seen him.
Directed by Seun Opabisi, we see Zamir stalks his trembling foes through a room filled with gamblers, a slaughterhouse and a church. Symbolic images of floating pig heads, blood-stained walls, cop cars, and burning clothes also add to the sense of danger while Zamir perform his menacing lines.
“Alte Cruise” – Odunsi (2018)
Social media and smartphones have allowed this generation of DIY acts to find innovative ways to connect with their audience. There’s no better realisation of that potential, than the music video for “Alte Cruise” by Odunsi, Zamir and Santi. The nearly 3-minute long video is a mashup of different clips collected from different concerts and parties Santi and his friends attended.
Just as the song tributes the free-spirited nature of the alte artists, the music video also follows a similarly unceremonious direction, with the grainy images and lightweight plot that only tries to capture the face of the creatives, tastemakers and fans within the creative scene.
“Raw Dinner” – Santi (2019)
Santi has definitely left a mark as one of the most gifted visual artists this decade, and the accompanying video for one of his album’s standouts, “Raw Dinner”, completely seals this. Featuring everything we have grown to love from Santi in his hard-to-forget videos, the 8-minute short film builds a detailed story of a Demon Queen’s transformation through 6 chapters of Nollywood-inspired drama.
With the convincing costumes, acting and plot that dabbled into surrealism and fantasy, the video for “Raw Dinner” is nothing like we’ve ever seen before in the Nigerian music industry, and through this Santi continues to set the standard for artistic exploration in Nigeria, whilst also creating a platform for himself on a global stage.
“Thuggin/ Darko” – Burna Boy x DJDS (2019)
In the video for “Thuggin/ Darko” , Burna Boy explores gang-violence through gritty black and white filters and a cast of colourfully clad people performing rituals. The Daniel Regan-directed video blurs the lines between beauty and bleakness, as we watch Burna playing the role of a caretaker and gang banger who loses a dear one as a result of the gang violence he’s involved in. While he mourns the loss, the video ironically goes from the black and white filter it began with to a colourful frame that celebrates the African burial rites, making for a thought-provoking piece which serves as a good accessory to the already thought-provoking song.
“Am I A Yahoo Boy” – Naira Marley
Days before he got taken into EFCC custody, Naira Marley released the Zlatan-assisted “Am I A Yahoo Boy”, which got eyes on him very quick. Naira was no stranger to talking about his run ins with the law in his songs, however, this came at the perfect time as there was civil unrest due to the #endsarz campaign.
In the accompanying TG Omori-directed video, he built the entire set in a bid to pay homage to Snoop Dogg and Tupac in the ’90s. Given that Naira’s trajectory is playing out a little like theirs did, the video was the starting point of Naira Marley’s current dominance in the game, and in turn, led the path for TG Omori who has now worked with all the musicians he could only dream of working with earlier on in the decade.
Ahead of the release of ‘The Breeze Grew A Fire,’ we sat down with Mereba to discuss putting together her...
Mereba exudes a palpable warmth. When she speaks, as she did with me via Zoom one evening in late January,...
Mereba exudes a palpable warmth. When she speaks, as she did with me via Zoom one evening in late January, she’s gentle and perceptive, speaking in soft, meandering passages that paint an intimate portrait of the LA-based singer’s mind. Similarly, her stirring discography, which dates back to 2013, evokes a keen sense of serene intimacy. “I’m inspired by those little moments in life where you’re like “Ah that’s really beautiful,”” she tells me halfway into our conversation, making sense of the ethereal quality that her music possesses. “It could be an interaction between two people, it could be something in nature, it could be a memory I have. Those are the moments that drive me to go get my guitar and write a song.”
The 34-year-old singer, songwriter, producer and instrumentalist has been writing songs for as long as she can remember. Growing up between Alabama, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, as well as an unintended one-year stint in her father’s native Ethiopia, ensured that Mereba picked up a wealth of influences that would go on to inform her richly diverse and understated sound. After years living across multiple cities, she finally settled in Atlanta where she became a staple in the city’s indie music circuit. “There, I met my peers who I made music with and are still my peers to this day. People like J.I.D, 6LACK and my crew. We all were just coming up during a really rich time of music there so that was a big part of my journey,” she reminisces fondly.
In the years that Mereba lived in Atlanta, she released 2013’s ‘Room For Living’ and ‘Kotton House Vol 1,’ two extended plays that neatly outline the foundations of the balmy and eclectic style that she would perfect years later, leaving ample room for her soothing vocals and evocative songwriting to shine. She also joined Spillage Village, a musical collective that comprises others like Earth Gang and JID, contributing to various releases like ‘Bears Like This Too Much’ and the critically acclaimed ‘Spilligion.’ Following her time in Atlanta, Mereba moved again, this time to Los Angeles, where she signed her first major record deal and released her debut album ‘The Jungle Is The Only Way Out.’
Since the release of ‘The Jungle Is The Only Way Out’ in 2019, Mereba has continued to hone her unique sound, continually experimenting and ironing out the rich textures of her temperate style on subsequent releases like 2021’s ‘AZEB.’ Ahead of the release of ‘The Breeze Grew A Fire,’ her first project in four years, we sat down with the LA-based singer to discuss the story behind her well-received debut, her various influences as well as the process of putting together her highly-anticipated new album.
This is your first album in about five years. How are you feeling?
I feel really excited. I’m definitely excited to give my music back to the world again. I’m also ready for connection, performing the songs, and sharing these new stories.
You’ve been making music for a long time now, but do you still feel any nerves before a major release like this?
I don’t know if it’s nerves. I think I feel anxious about the fact that the music is being released and people are going to hear it. But I guess I’m anxious in a good way for them to hear the music, to get to experience what I’ve been toiling away at and what I’ve been excited about for a while. It’s more like a good anxiety.
I think the first time I came across your music was in 2019. I heard “Heatwave” with 6LACK off of your debut album ‘The Jungle Is The Only Way Out.’ I believe that album was sort of a breakthrough moment for you. Can you tell me a bit about how it came together?
That album coming together was quite a journey. I started ‘The Jungle Is The Only Way Out’ years before it came out. I had left Atlanta and moved to L.A at this point. I didn’t know so many people when I just moved and so I was kind of starting over in certain ways. I was writing a lot of songs that felt really powerful to me but they were sonically different from what I used to make before. I was also learning how to produce, I was in Ableton learning how to make beats and just produce my music. Because I didn’t know so many people, I couldn’t outsource some of these things so I was just experimenting on my sound on my own.
Over the years, the community that I was a part of in Atlanta, everyone started finding their way in music but we still stayed closely in touch even though I had moved to L.A. I featured on a song with J.I.D and that kind of got me back into making music properly again because at that point, I was working random jobs, my car got taken and I had to start taking the bus to work. I was living a completely different life. It was my friends that put me back in the zone. They would invite me to sessions and just remind me that I wanted to do this music thing. Then I started putting together songs I had made over the years like “Sandstorm” and “Heatwave” with 6LACK which we made way before the album came out and even my solo songs like “Black Truck.” Most of the songs on that album had come from that period where I was struggling but knowing I was meant for music somehow.
How many years did it take to put your first album together?
I’ll say about four to five years. They say you write your first album for your whole life. “Highway 10” is the first song I made on that album. I made that song in 2014 and the album came out in 2019. In the years before the album came out I was signed to a bad record deal and I couldn’t get out, I couldn’t release music. All I could do was just create and that ended up forcing me to just hone in on my sound.
After your debut, you released an EP titled ‘AZEB’ two years later. Listening to that project, it felt lighter than your debut which was a lot darker and more melancholic. Do you remember what headspace you were in when you made this EP?
I was definitely feeling a lot lighter when I was making ‘AZEB.’ I felt like I had shed a lot of the weight that I carried during all those years of uncertainty. I was in a much more hopeful place when I was making one-half of the project. The other half was made during the early days of the pandemic so it was like a mix. Songs like “Rider,”“Beretta,” and “My Moon,” those songs represent beautiful, light type feelings to me while some of the other songs like “News Come,” and “Another Kin” are more intense lyrically and sonically.
Let’s talk about ‘The Breeze Grew A Fire.’ How did you land on that as the title for your second album?
The making of that title was different from how I titled my other projects. It didn’t come to me right away and I decided to not force it, I believed it was going to come eventually. So the making of this album has always felt very gentle. In contrast to what I had been through for so many years, I felt like I was in a much softer space creating this album and this feeling of a breeze just kept coming to me. It was also kind of like springtime going into the summer and the idea of a breeze became so prominent that I was going to title the album breeze. But as I continued on the journey of finishing it, it felt like the album was saying something a bit more. I realized that the album wasn’t just about all these gentle feelings and relationships I’m singing about like friendship, family, and my son but these things also inspire me to live with purpose, conviction and to have a spark in me. Things that make people “strong” are inspired by these little moments and experiences that we have and less by the force of trying to make a fire forcefully.
You co-produced “Phone Me” and “Counterfeit,” the lead singles for this project and you’ve also produced a lot of your older stuff as well. I’m curious to know how taking the reins on the production side affects your music-making process in general.
I got really into producing during that period when I felt lost in life. I got into Ableton, playing the guitar on my computer, sampling my voice and just experimenting. So songs that I produced from ‘The Jungle Is The Only Way Out’ like “Sandstorm” and “Kinfolk,” were me experimenting a lot with learning how to produce. With this new album, the first two singles were heavily produced by my co-producer Sam Hoffman. When he sends me things that I like, I’ll add things to them and it could be the opposite as well where I produce a song and I’ll have him or another friend add something to it. That process is personal because I could completely be in my world and get the feelings that I want to convey out through production as well as writing the song out lyrically. When I unlocked that part of myself, it felt like my whole life that’s what I’ve been wanting to do. To be able to make the music arrangements and compositions come to life.
A lot of the time I would start with a simple beat or drum loop and I’ll build chords over it with my guitar. I experiment with writing when it’s bare and then fill in the production as I write the song. They’re a very interwoven process.
I’ve read that you’re heavily influenced by legendary acts like Stevie Wonder and Lauryn Hill. Are there other acts that inspire you when it comes to the production side of music specifically?
That’s a great question. In certain ways, I’ll say it’s the same people that I look up to because most of them produce. Interestingly enough, what I love most about these musicians is that they are very involved in the sonics of the music they’re making. So the people that you mentioned, like Stevie Wonder who mentored me and encouraged me to continue on the path of producing my music versus being a singer who works with a producer. I feel like it’s important to the language of an artist to at least know how to contribute in some way to the sonics of their music.
I’ll say Quincy Jones is the blueprint for me just because of the span of work that he did. He’s the concept of producer I’d like to work towards in my life.
Do you have a favourite memory from creating ‘The Breeze Grew A Fire’?
There are a few. There was a time when I made this song on the album called “Hawk.” The song is dedicated to a really dear friend of mine who passed away unexpectedly in 2021. It was not easy to write and when I first wrote the song, it was sad, slow and reflective of the whole situation. I listened to it after I made it and I started thinking about my friend and the things that he liked. He was a very expressive and hilarious person who loved dancing and dance music. At that moment a light bulb went up and I felt like the song needed to be more of a dance song because I wanted to make something that he would love and not something he would think is corny. It was a really beautiful moment musically and personally.
If there’s one thing you would like your fans or listeners to take away from ‘A Breeze Grew A Fire,’ what would it be?
I hope it brings a sense of comfort and warmth. I also hope it tells a clear story of what matters to me. I just really hope it makes people feel better, that’s really it. I think it’s one of those albums where it’s a personal album for me and I think it’s meant for personal moments too. I hope it lives in people’s lives in comforting ways.
Asake broke the internet when he unveiled his new tattoos earlier this year, and he’s doubling down while...
Asake broke the internet when he unveiled his new tattoos earlier this year, and he’s doubling down while...
Asake broke the internet when he unveiled his new tattoos earlier this year, and he’s doubling down while ushering in the GIRAN Republic era. On “Military”, Asake ditches the log drums & Amapiano-inspired beats that paved the way to his rapid ascent to stardom. Rapping over stripped back production dominated by a live drum loop, he picks up where he left off sonically on ‘LUNGU BOY’, drawing inspiration from his Hip-Hop influences, as he delivers a defiant, heartfelt battle-cry to his fans and doubters alike.
For the last few months, rumours have swirled around Asake on the gossip blogs, on everything from who he’s dating to his record label situation to his physical appearance, with fans, critics and disgruntled ex team members all throwing in their two cents. Since his emergence in the limelight, Asake has been a man of few words – we should know, we did his first ever magazine interview back in 2022. But on this track, he addresses the chatter head on, opening the song dismissively rapping “ Awon lo lenu won koma so lo/ Tio ba affect bank me, ko ma soro” loosely translated to “let them keep talking, if it doesn’t affect my bank account, there’s nothing to say”. He goes on to flex his financial muscle above everyone in his “set”, despite being “low-key”, while affirming he could drop an album tomorrow with no tracklist, and it would still slap.
He takes a break from the braggadocio between verses to directly shout out his mentor Olamide, the man who gave him his big break. While it does appear their business relationship may have run its course, the mercurial artist is making it clear he remembers how he got here. The Asake & YBNL run will be studied for years to come. In the midst of the continued rise in global consumption of Nigerian music, Asake hilariously raps “Oyinbo koro lenu mi”, a reminder that he will not be diluting his sound for the benefit of our friends in the West.
Quietly dropping the track exclusively on YouTube & Audiomack a couple of days after the 2025 GRAMMY ceremony, in which he was nominated for the second year running, this response may have gone over the heads of those who lurk in the comment sections of the gossip blogs. But it is the most Asake response we could have expected, isn’t it? On his own terms, in his own native tongue, he pulls no punches as he ushers in a new era of independence.
This morning, Asake released another record, the Magicsticks-produced “WHY LOVE”,which notably comes under his new imprint Giran Republic. Reverting to a more familiar sonic cocktail of pulsating log-drums and choral vocals, he sings melodiously,“You know I’m a Soulja boy, but in your case, I’ll calm down.” The duality of man.
The rumours will keep swirling and people will keep talking, as they tend to do when you reach the heights the Lungu Boy has soared to. And for all the aesthetic change and talk of a new era, it appears Asake is going to continue to do what he has done more consistently than nearly every artist in Nigeria since his mainstream emergence in 2022: drown out the noise with new music.
We spoke to the Grammy-nominated young star about his smash hit "Kehlani" and new project ‘A Jaguar's...
The most distinctive quality of Jordan Adetunji’s music is how eclectic it sounds: it’s a melting pot...
The most distinctive quality of Jordan Adetunji’s music is how eclectic it sounds: it’s a melting pot that blends the jerky rhythms of club Rap with elements of Rock, R&B, Jersey Club and Afropop, creating addictive bitesize records that are inventive and strikingly dynamic. His growing discography, which currently includes a handful of singles and a debut mixtape, houses seductive and melodic rap songs that owe much of their influence to Cash Cobain’s raunchy interpretation of Drill music. The animated records erupt with the frenzy of hardcore Punk as well as other colourful and vibrant sounds that could easily soundtrack an anime fight scene. This comprehensive approach to making music that adopts influences from an array of established and obscure styles was inspired by the video game soundtracks Adetunji heard as a kid.
“Growing up, I played a lot of games like Need For Speed, Fight Night, Tekken, and a bunch of role-playing games, and I heard a lot of music in these games that inspired me to start making my own music as I grew older,” he tells me during a Google Meet conversation one afternoon in late November.
Adetunji’s clear aspiration to stretch his music out across genres and play with form is what birthed 2023’s ‘ROCK ‘N’ RAVE,’ his official debut project that manages to neatly encapsulate much of what he is about. Tender opener “INAUGURAL EPISODE,” is a slow, heartfelt confessional that’s buoyed by elegant violin strings and serves as a soft introduction into his eclectic and distorted world before listeners are immediately jolted to live with the insistent and booming bounce on “DECAY.”. This arbitrary style also birthed “Kehlani,” his inescapable breakout single which took off worldwide and peaked at number 24 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The single also recently earned him a 2025 Grammy nomination for Best Melodic Rap Performance where he is up against heavyweights like Beyonce and Future, highlighting just how far he’s come in a short amount of time.
Long before the 25-year-old became a Grammy-nominated act, he was just an inquisitive teenager with a knack for tinkering with different sounds and melodies. Born in London, Adetunji lived in one of the city’s largest commercial areas for about 10 years before relocating to Belfast, the capital city of Northern Ireland, with his mum and siblings. Even though he had been fascinated by the idea of making music as a kid living in London, it wasn’t until he got to Belfast that he began to cut his teeth as a budding musician. There, he picked up music classes in high school, specifically learning how to play the trumpet.
“From there on, I started trying to record my own music on my mum’s laptop. After a while, I got my own small computer, a cheap interface and then I started recording songs and putting them online,” he tells me of his early journey.
After posting a bunch of spirited rap videos on Facebook, Adetunji put out his first official single in 2020 titled “Close 2 You.” The Dancehall-inspired single was followed by the frenetic, Rock-influenced “Wokeup!” just months after, quickly briefing early listeners that he wasn’t one to boxed in. British singer and songwriter Oli Sykes, who is most famous for being the frontman of the Rock band Bring Me the Horizon, happened to be one of Adetunji’s early admirers and he was intrigued by the then-upcoming singer’s Alt-Rock and Rap experimentation. He reached out to Adetunji and subsequently got him a deal with RCA Records.
Even after his recent signing with 300 Entertainmet/Warner UK Adetunji continued to record music in his bedroom, just like he did as a kid, tinkering and incorporating even more disparate elements to his already expansive sound. It was during one of these recording sessions that the framework of what would eventually morph into “Kehlani” was created.
“I had always wanted to write a song about someone who embodies a certain powerfulness and someone who is strong and stands for what they believe in. So I just ended up putting Kehlani’s name in when I was making the song,” he tells me, speaking of the inspiration behind the song.
“My brother was there with me while I was making “Kehlani” and I remember debating if I should keep the name in or take it out because I didn’t know what the reaction would be,” he continues. Unsure of how people would take to the song, Adetunji posted a snippet of the song on TikTok and to his surprise, it immediately took on a life of its own. This encouraged him to complete the song which he released shortly after and the rest is history.
Following the success of “Kehlani,” Adetunji shows no signs of taking his foot off the gas. He secured a highly anticipated remix with the alluring and self-assured inspiration of his Grammy-nominated single before closing out 2024 with the saccharine, Lil Baby-assisted “Options” which is cut from the same cloth as his breakout record. Speaking of how the collaboration came about, he explains that the Atlanta rapper was one of the first people to reach out to him after he released “Kehlani.”
“He showed me mad love. I finally met him in London and he said he would like to work with me. I sent him two songs that I had recorded and he dropped a verse on one of them,” he explains.
Looking to further acquaint his newfound audience with his eclectic soundscape and to cement his status as one of the most inventive new acts on the scene, the Grammy nominee recently announced the imminent arrival of his latest mixtape titled ‘A Jaguar’s Dream.’
“A Jaguar, to me, is someone who moves through spaces and conquers every space it enters. This is how I feel with my sound constantly evolving and conquering every space I enter into,” he explained in an official press release. “A Jaguar’s Dream is an entry into my love life and my world of thoughts through sound and emotion. A real manifestation of my dreams I wish to make reality.”