In the summer of 2020, Lojay, one of last year’s breakout stars began recording a trappy experiment helmed by London-based rapper and producer, New World Ray. Over the next two years, the freestyle would undergo transformation as it passed through several hands, including highbrow producers such as Lido (A$AP Mob, Chance the Rapper), NATIVE Sound System’s Sholz, and finally Adey.

That single, now known as “Runaway,” the soulful ballad performed by Lojay and his sweet-sounding collaborator, Mavin Records’ crown jewel Ayra Starr is the first song off the NATIVE Sound System‘s forthcoming debut album, the music division of the NATIVE Networks which is also the parent company of this very publication. The eponymous album will pull together a spate of talented artists, producers, sound engineers, A&R’s, and music executives from around the continent and the diaspora, all united to spread the sounds of tomorrow: today, the ethos of this very media company.

In that light, for our April Digital Cover and our first cover of the new year, we shine a light on all the collaborators on “Runaway,” tracing how the lead single off the NATIVE Sound System’s debut single came to be. Starring two of the most powerful voices of the new generation, Mavins lead female vocalist Ayra Starr and “Monalisa” singer, Lojay alongside director and producer, Dafe Oboro, stylist MOMO, Forevatired, Monster Boys and more.

‘Project Runaway’ highlights the creation process behind working on the record “Runaway”, and digs deeper into the rebellious and left-field nature of the NATIVE. The album which is centred around four of the climatic and cultural seasons that make up a typical year in Lagos, and is a compilation of familiar voices and new sounds. That being said, ‘The Sound Is Coming.’

Full Credits:

Starring Ayra Starr and Lojay in New Bottega

Editor-in-Chief: Seni Saraki

Managing Editor: Tami Makinde

Words by Wilfred Okiche

Photography: Victor Elochukwu

Styling: Morinsola Hassan-Odukale

Make-Up: Onome Ezekiel

Hair: Kehinde Are

BTS Photography: Torty Ikechukwu

BTS Videography: Ayo Odunsi

Production assistants: Wonu Osikoya and Moore Wright

Cover design by Shina Ladipo

You can read the cover story here.

ICYMI: Project Runaway