NATIVE Exclusive: Introducing Midas the Jagaban
There's a new kid on the block
In Greek mythology, King Midas was famously recognised as a greedy king whose itching palm led him into a life of tragedy. As the myth goes, his penchant for avariciousness landed him in a tight spot when he was cursed with the ability to turn everything he touched into shiny, hard gold–even his own daughter. These days, however, the legend of Midas has become synonymous with stories of good fortune and success and it’s this connotation that inspired new kid on the block, Midas the Jagaban’s unique moniker.
“Midas is my second persona. When I am Midas, I’m a different person entirely. And everything I touch kind of turns to gold so I related that to my music,” she says to me during our conversation on Zoom last weekend. As for the Jagaban part of her moniker, she tells me that it was inspired by her Yoruba roots and a famous line on her debut single “Come We Bill Ehh”. “There’s a line on there that everyone likes and it goes “E mi Midas I be Jagaban” and I just knew that Midas the Jagaban was my story and it relates to me because I am leading the new generation. It seemed fitting”. For an artist who remains clandestinely masked at all times, her operative intentions seemed strange to me but for her, she was only just getting started and introducing the world to her zestful persona.
“I’m at the beginning stages of my career. I’m simply introducing myself as Midas the Jagaban and I want people to come party with me so my music is very representative of my vibe and my intentions.”
Born in the UK to a Nigerian family, Midas the Jagaban was under the usual African family pressures to succeed in life and finish her education for a suitable professional career. She was working jobs and paying bills but at the end of May, things finally fell into place for her despite the effects of the global pandemic on the music industry. “I was working for the last year and then it was just a matter of what I really wanted to do with my life. I was in a space where I was like I might as well just try. It’s one life so why not?” she says to me with a laugh. Her statements are short and terse, but they pack just enough of a punch to give me good indication of the kind of future she envisions for herself and the music industry as a whole.
She tells me matter-of-factly about why she’s finally ready: “It wasn’t planned. It was more like I had gone to the studio, recorded this song, and then it had gotten such good reception so far so I was like yeah, I am doing this and I am going to do it properly”. And much like it usually goes in life, things fell in place naturally, and she soon found a team of people who were just as committed to her grand vision as she was to catalyse her rise to the prominence. The result was her debut single “Come We Bill Ehh”, a lively energetic single whose infectious beat all but commands that you rise up and burst into happy dance. And it seems to have caught on really well, haven amassed over 2 million views on Youtube so far.
“The music I make is a vibe really. Like it’s quite repetitive but also it’s very much very good vibes. When you are listening to it, it makes you forget a couple of bad vibes.”
Despite haven started her career in the midst of a pandemic, Midas definitely has that golden touch when it comes to the music game. Her second single “Party With A Jagaban” is only a month old but already its hit and exceeded the 1 million views mark on Youtube and currently sits at number 3 on the official UK Afrobeats chart. For a newcomer, this is a very impressive feat and it’s one that Midas the Jagaban does not take for granted. Already, there are calls from fans for her to feature with artists of similar ilk like Darkoo and Naira Marley and it’s not hard to see why.
Her sound is very familiar. It’s the catchy brand of danceable afropop with simple, memorable lyrics. Her music is influenced by her favorite artists at the moment which she names as Burna Boy, Naira Marley, Koffee, Wande Coal, and Teni. According to Midas the Jagaban, she’s heavily inspired by the “vibes”. Right now, the world is her oyster. She’s at the nascent stages of what’s looking up to be a successful run with her music and the only thing in front of her is her future. She says, “The future has sustained me. The fact that I don’t know what’s going to happen is scary but I want to find out. It keeps me going just to see and to keep seeing.” And she’s already primed for an even bigger 2021, having just been selected as one of the artists in the first edition of No Signal Radio’s annual Yearbook, showcasing the artists the station is most excited about.
Currently, her home country Nigeria, which just marked its 60th independence day, is contesting the use of brutal force within the country’s armed forces and the decades-long unfiltered excesses of her corrupt government. As a Nigerian living in the UK, Midas the Jagaban has been increasingly vocal about what’s going on back at home. To her, she believes more than anything that change is coming, and the younger generation are the ones to effect such change. Just before we round up our conversation, she adds, “I think it is a very hard time but I think it’s also an inspiring time because it just inspires change. Change is coming and I think that should inspire art or music in a way”.
Featured image credits/MidastheJagaban
Tami is available here @tamimak_
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Another step towards ‘Money,’ his fourth
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The singer posted the full music video–a monochromatic montage of dazzling shots and scenes of his opulent lifestyle–across his different social media handles on Thursday evening, July 24, with a caption that read, ‘The World Of Money.’
Earlier in June, the ex-YBNL star announced a new album titled ‘Money.’ A few months before that, he released a loosie titled “Military” and then “WHY LOVE,” his first official single under his new imprint Giran Republic. “Military” served as a bookend to the first arc of his impressive career as much as an announcement of a new era, while “WHY LOVE” officially kicked off season two.
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With Asake releasing three albums in as many years, it’s not unreasonable to assume ‘Money’ might arrive before the end of the year. There’s also the possibility that he might be willing to take his time a little more now, seeing as he his under his imprint now.
Whatever the case may be, ‘Money’ is likely to arrive sooner rather than later, and it will be fascinating to see what other aces Asake has up his sleeves.
Listen to “BADMAN GANSTA” here.
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An 11th-hour summer anthem for the
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The Mavin popstar has been teasing the new single for a few weeks now, posting multiple promotional videos across social media that built up significant excitement for her third official release of the year. The release of “Hot Body” comes on the heels of recent reports that confirmed the Grammy-nominated singer had officially joined Roc Nation’s roster, the American music label, entertainment, and sports services company founded by rapper and business mogul JAY-Z.
Earlier in February, Ayra Starr shared “All The Love,” a sumptuous Afropop ballad produced by labelmate Johnny Drille and Teemode, before releasing the sleek and sensual Wizkid-assisted “Gimmie Dat” about months later. In that time period, the singer picked up two awards at the 2025 MOBO Awards for Best African Music Act and Best International Act before also clinching her first BET award for Best International Act in June.
It was recently announced that the pop singer would be joining Coldplay on the UK leg of their Music Of The Spheres World Tour between August to September, and her impressive year continues with the release of “Hot Body.” Once again, teaming up with close collaborator Ragee and UK production duo The Elements, Ayra Starr manages to deliver a sweetly erotic summer jam that’s sure to elicit plenty lip-biting, hip gyrating, and flirty winks. “Look what a hot body can do,” she sings repeatedly, almost like an enchantress performing a magic trick.
With her current deal with Mavin and Universal Music still running and the recent confirmation of her management deal with Roc Nation, it’s safe to assume that “Hot Body” might garner significant momentum both at home and abroad. Outside of her music, the singer recently wrapped up the shooting of the film adaptation of Tomi Adeyemi’s Children of Blood and Bone which is reportedly set for release in early 2027.
Listen to “Hot Body” here.
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Three years after the release of ‘Talk To Me Naace,’ his reintroduction to the scene, ZULO has returned with ‘Z,’ a three-track EP that shows a glimpse of his evolution as an artist and human. Packed with his reflections on faith, love, and cultural pride, ‘Z’ distills ZULO’s thoughts into a refined sound that’s bold, emotional, and distinctly South African.
The three-tracker opens with “God’s Armour,” a gospel-inflected protest anthem layered with brass and trap drums. It is followed by “Sweeter Success,” an infectious Afropop-inspired groove built around a nostalgic sample of UPZ’s iconic “Pure Surprise”. Beneath its shine lies a darker message: the emotional cost of ambition, the toll of always pushing for more. ZULO produced the track himself, with additional production from Miglow and SpiceDrums.
‘Z’ closes with “Spaan”, a gritty street anthem that samples Kamazu and confronts addiction, poverty, and the lingering scars of apartheid through the lens of coloured identity. “These songs are battle cries and war journals,” ZULO says. “‘Z’ is everything I’ve fought through to stand where I am. The EP follows a strong run of 2024 singles, including “Adawise,” “JOL,” “Garden,” and “Smaak To Love (Lamza).”
Listen to ‘Z’ here.
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