NATIVE Exclusive: Between photography & music, this is Lex Ash’s Truth
a creative polymath
There is a slight hint of tiredness in the blunt edge of Lex Ash’s voice when he logs in for our call one cool Friday evening in early September. “I’m sorry if I sound a bit tired,” he quietly offers. “I’ve been at a shoot all day.” While photoshoots are a fairly standard part of the celebrity pipeline that music revolves around, there is a slight tweak to the make-up of the shoot that he’s describing. Instead of being the subject of the photographer’s lenses, Lex Ash is the one behind the camera, calling the shots.
Primarily known for his cool, elegiac style of photography that has seen him collaborate with stars like Simi, Zoro, and Ayra Starr, Lex has, over the last three years, been exploring other aspects of his creative leanings in films and videos, amongst a number of mediums. Of all of his explorations, music remains the most personal for Lex Ash, being a direct result of falling in love with the mix of gospel songs he grew up on and the elemental R&B songs from the late ’90s and early 2000s.
Lex’s debut project, Truth, is cut from the same cloth as those old bleeding heart R&B bodies of work, built around romantic aspirations and candid self-awareness that leaves one both grounded and hyper-aware. “The project applies in so many different ways,” Lex Ash says. “It could easily be a romantic relationship kind of feeling or a self-appreciation type of EP in the sense that if you go deeper into the lyrics, there are aspects of it that feel like you’re having a conversation with yourself and just exploring a bunch of feelings that are grounded in you.”
Below, Lex Ash talks about his life and his journey into music.
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NATIVE: Where did you grow up?
Lex Ash: I grew up here in Lagos. I was born in Surulere but grew up in Ijegun. I’m the second of four children, sort of a middle child. I started singing in the children’s choir, then progressed to my secondary school’s choir, and then to the university choir. I attended Covenant University. My first time ever recording in a studio was during my youth service, I was working with a radio station called We FM. The studio manager at the time knew I could sing so he invited me to freestyle over something he did and that’s the first time I ever recorded anything. After finishing my youth service in Abuja, a friend of mine who was a producer invited me to his studio to help out other people that were recording there and I did that until I got a job in April of 2015.
NATIVE: Would you say your upbringing inclined you into music? Or played a part in you loving the arts?
I don’t think my upbringing had a huge part in introducing me to the arts because yes, I was in the children’s choir in church but it wasn’t a serious thing. It was more like every time they wanted to have a special event, I’d join. I think it began to show that this was something I could really do during secondary school. Also, I was really good in the art class: I could paint and do a lot of other things when it comes to the arts.
NATIVE: What was the music of your childhood?
I grew up in a Christian home so I listened a lot to Don Moen and all those types of songs. Even with their choreography, I was deeply invested in it. So, it was mostly Christian songs but there were others that we got to know through Music Africa, I was listening to Styl Plus, P Square during the Get Squared and “Temptation” era. I also really liked Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson. With Micheal, it felt like he pushed the boundaries of everything and that was just inspiring to me. I would watch documentaries and shows he did just to pick up certain things. As I grew up, I was exposed to other singers like Ne-Yo and John Legend. I also discovered that R&B was what I really enjoyed and it’s just a combination of all those things.
NATIVE: When did you start photography?
The first time I picked up photography was 2012. I was in my semi-final year and I was just taking pictures of things around campus. I would borrow the camera from a friend because I liked that feeling and I always liked playing with electronic stuff. I had started with graphic design in my first year because there weren’t a lot of pictures of black people that we could use for all our photo manipulation and stuff. I realised that I could actually use the pictures I was taking for posters or tech week stuff in school. With time, I started taking pictures that people were willing to use for all those things. By 2013, I realised that it was something I could do and I started taking it more seriously but I was also doing my 9-5 along with it. I worked at Unilever for a few months before going on service and people would pay me money here and there to take pictures of them. I quit my job to focus on photography full-time in 2017.
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NATIVE: At this point in your life, what was your relationship with music like?
All this while, I was still in the choir and I could sing. After school, I joined the NYSC choir during camp. I also joined a RCCG choir in my service year, so it was something that was still a part of me. I never thought that it was something that I would do seriously. I just felt that perhaps in the future I could consider it. At that time, my top priority was photography. In 2019, I felt like I was in a good place with my photography and decided to explore my other gifts. I started doing more fashion films and videos and also started recording music. Starting out with music, I told myself that I was doing it because I loved it, not because I was trying to sell it or anything, but over time I realised that one of the things I loved the most was how people felt when they heard my stuff. I started feeling like I wanted more people to hear it, so I was necessarily just doing it for fun anymore. I wanted to do it to a level where people around the world could listen to me and feel the way I feel or have their own takes and interpret their own experiences one way or the other.
NATIVE: Being a photographer is a whole different manner of expression than making music, how did you make the transition?
For me, I don’t necessarily think there’s that much of a difference in the sense that with my photography and music and how I express myself through them, it’s just a huge part of me and my identity. So, it’s just expressing how I feel in different ways. With my photography, I take a piece of paper, draw up ideas, speak with people, then come up with concepts. After all this, I take pictures and edit them to suit the way I’m feeling. It’s the same way I think about music: I come up with the melody, write lyrics based on how I’m feeling, and get it ready. It’s just different modes of expression. But if it’s the case of time management and juggling both careers, right now I don’t think it’s gotten to a point where it is so much of a hassle to combine both. I plan everything I do to the letter when it comes to my calendar. I know if I’m going to record on a specific evening I have to be home and ready and rested for that activity. Most of my photography gigs are planned for late morning to afternoon. I just always try to plan everything adequately.
NATIVE: Are there ways your background as a photographer has helped you navigate your music career?
Yes! Thankfully, I’ve been doing photography for a while and I’ve been blessed to be able to accomplish a few things in my photography career. I’ve gotten to meet and work with a lot of incredible artists and observe their process behind the scenes. It just feels like it’s something I’ve seen being done before and I’m able to manage that. Also, it mean that I have a certain level of access to these musicians. I was able to do a song with Zoro on my EP partly because I’ve done a lot of work with him that he’s used for his album art and stuff like that. When I told him I was going into music, he was so supportive and it was a matter of getting something that worked for him and he jumped on board. There are more collaborations like this that are in the works for my future projects.
NATIVE: A lot of your songs have a soul essence and R&B influence, what inspires your process?
R&B is what I really love. I can listen to anything but at the end of the day I’ll come back to something chill. So I always end up listening to soul and R&B. My playlists are multiple versions of R&B and soul or acoustic versions of popular songs. Because of that, when I write or come up with melodies, they have a tendency to be influenced by my music leanings. I love the way the piano and acoustic guitar sounds, they fit within my Zen state. If you chcek my pictures too, there’s a certain softness to them, it’s a huge representative of who I am. My process usually starts with the melody or lyrics but most times its the melody. I could be about to go to bed or in the shower and something just comes to my head and I try to record it on my phone. From there, I go to my producer and we build the beat together. We go back and forth thinking of the instruments to use and what will fit. Thankfully, I’ve gotten to work with some incredible producers that have listened to me and worked with me to build the music up together. Most of my recordings are around 30 minutes as long as I have the beat and the lyrics ready to go.
NATIVE: When did you start making Truth and how did you approach making it?
The first song I wrote on the project was “Sleep (Wake Up).” I wrote and recorded it in 2019 when I was finding it difficult to sleep and I was going through a really down period. I have a tendency to not be in very good spirits during some months and I’d try to sleep but I’d still be awake by 3 A.M and that how the theme of the song came about. I decided to change it into a heartbreak song following the last song I did which was “Love Don’t Live Here.” It was just to follow the story. Most of the other songs were recorded in 2020, during and after the lockdown. At one point I was just recording songs and I sort of fell into a pattern. At another point, I decided that I didn’t want to do just heartbreak songs, I wanted to tell the story of love lost and regained. I knew there were emotions that help with those transitions and that’s how I built the EP from there.
NATIVE: What do you feel is something people should take away from listening to this EP?
I think it depends on the person. The project applies in so many different ways. It could easily be a romantic relationship kind of feeling or a self-appreciation type of EP in the sense that if you go deeper into the lyrics, there are aspects of it that feel like you’re having a conversation with yourself and just exploring a bunch of feelings that are grounded in you. For examples, “Right My Wrongs,” the song with Zoro, has a prayerful vibe because there’s a part of scripture where Paul says he finds himself doing the thing he doesn’t want to and not doing what he wants to, so that song was, in a way, about seeking redemption for one’s self. If you listen to Zoro’s part, he talks about his vices and the hope that they are taken away from him. The last song also has a Christian undertone because it takes inspiration from that I’ll never leave you or forsake you message of Jesus before he ascended. I recorded “By My Side” deep into last year’s lockdown when things were going nuts and it was a way of reassuring myself and other people that’d be listening that we are not alone in this. It might seem dark and gloomy but I’ll be by your side. At the end of the day, knowing that there’s someone going through what you’re going through might make it bearable.
Listen to Lex Ash’s Truth here.
@walenchi Is A Lagos-Based Writer Interested In The Intersection Of Popular Culture, Music, And Youth Lifestyle.
ICYMI: JAZZZ ATTA IS THE R&B SINGER CAPTIVATING AUDIENCES WITH HER VOICE
Luwa.Mp4 Releases Riotous Debut Album, ‘punKstA*’
Across the album’s 12 tracks, Luwa.Mp4 continues his fiery exploration and fusion of genres like Punk Rock,...
Rising singer and rapper Luwa.Mp4 has released his debut album titled ‘punKstA*.’ The underground star who has been on a release spree all year long, announced the imminent arrival of his debut only a couple of days ago with a cryptic trailer video and an Instagram caption that simply read ‘PUNKSTA* MONDAY.’
Before the arrival of ‘punKstA*,’ the rising fusion star had been showcasing his diligence and talent with a consistent output that has seen him put out over a dozen songs since the start of the year. A string of singles led to a 6-pack titled ‘lore skooL,’ while a deluxe version that housed 5 new songs came just a month later.
His debut album’s lead single, “pUNK FANTASY,” arrived in late July, setting the stage for what could prove to be a pivotal moment in the underground star’s burgeoning career.
Across the album’s 12 tracks, the eclectic singer continues his fiery exploration and fusion of genres like Punk Rock, Afropop, Hyperpop, and Rap into something uniquely different. Tracks like “Pure Water,” which was previously teased on Cruel Santino’s Subaru Live Stream, the abrasive, Tecno-influenced “pROMISED NEVERLAND,” and the more laidback “pEEp MY RIDE” put on display the sort of varied, autotune-soaked approach that has set him apart and helped carve a growing niche.
While Luwa decided to go solo on his debut, credited as the only recording artist, the album was brought to life by a cast of talented producers like frequent collaborator TOPSY, Emyboi, JTRN, 3CB, FVKK.ANDI and Jeremy Cartier.
Listen to ‘punKstA*,’ here.
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Shekhinah Returns With Surprise Album, ‘Less Trouble’
The South African R&B star is at her most assertive on her first album in four years.
South African R&B and Pop singer Shekhinah has released a new surprise album titled ‘Less Trouble.’ The Durban star, who had been quiet for most of the year, took to social media shortly before midnight to share the new album’s cover, synopsis, and tracklist, simply stating, ‘If you’re seeing this my album LESS TROUBLE is out now at Midnight,’ in an Instagram caption.
The soulful singer first began teasing ‘Less Trouble,’ her first album in over four years, about a year ago when she released its lead single “Risk,” a bouncy Afropop-inspired collab with Ghanaian star MOLIY. A few months after the release of “Risk,” she put out “Steady,” a dreamy pop number that suggested that something bigger was on the horizon. But then it was largely radio silence about a project until its surprise arrival at midnight.
If 2021’s ‘Trouble In Paradise’ represented a coming-of-age for Shekhinah, subsisting some of the dreamy, youthful exuberance of her debut album for more measured musings on themes like heartbreak and grief, ‘Less Trouble’ finds her at her most assertive, writing and singing with the acuity of someone who is grown, decisive and discerning. The delicate opener “Break Up Season” sets the tone for the rest of the album as she shows little tolerance for shady behaviour and toxic patterns.
Other standout cuts on the album like “Bare Minimum,” a sombre collab with fellow South African award-winning singer lordkez, the ethereal, in-your-face interlude “New Casanova,” and the percussive “What Are We,” where Shekhinah contemplates the nature of a relationship but ultimately demands all or nothing, all drive home a part of the album’s synopsis, which reads ‘A BOOK ON MORE HEARTBREAK BUT LESS HEARTACHE.’
Shekhinah invites a couple of new collaborators on ‘Less Trouble,’ featuring the aforementioned MOLIY and lordkez as well as multi-instrumentalist Mars Baby and Young Stunna across the album’s 11 tracks. Mpilo Shabangu handled the majority of the album’s production, while other producers like Michael Morare, her longtime collaborator, Mthintheki Mzizi, and Vuyo also contributed to the album.
Listen to ‘Less Trouble’ here.
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The NATIVE’s First Impressions Of Amaarae’s ‘Black Star’
‘Black Star’ marks another evolutionary arc for Amaarae, and The NATIVE team offer our thoughts after a...
Change has always been a constant theme in any discussion about the career of Ghanaian-American star, Amaarae. Since she emerged as a singular voice in the late 2010s, she has evolved from a sirenic Afropop-adjacent singer into a Punk-Pop firestarter with minimal fuss. ‘Fountain Baby,’ her 2023 sophomore album, was a sweeping departure from the lilting melodies and shapeshifing cadences of the hypnotic ‘The Angel You Don’t Know,’ emphasizing her commitment to charting new courses with her music.
In the lead-up to her new album, ‘Black Star,’ she has wholly embraced a Pop aesthetic and sheen that was reflected on the album’s promotional singles, “S.M.O.” and “Girlie-Pop!.” Now that the album has arrived, the singer has advised listeners not to go in expecting a continuation of the soundscape on ‘Fountain Baby.’ As keen followers of Amaarae’s career from its start, we are sure that ‘Black Star’ marks another evolutionary arc for her, and we offer our thoughts after a few listens.
WHAT WERE YOUR EXPECTATIONS OF AMAARAE GOING INTO THIS ALBUM?
Kemnachi: I had zero doubts that she would impress me again. Amaarae always comes correct. She is audacious with her choices, taking creative risks most artists would not dare to imagine, and somehow rendering them seamless, deliberate, and effortless. Her music has a way of enveloping me: it’s fluid, slightly dangerous, and yet irresistibly sensual. Every project feels like an immersive world she has curated down to the finest detail. With ‘Black Star,’ I knew it was not going to be a mere collection of songs but another meticulously constructed realm.
Bamise: I expected something fun, genre-bending, and sonically diverse in the fashion that Amaarae’s music typically is. I may have taken the album title a bit too literally, though, because listening made me realise I had an eye out for some Pan-African statements or something to spark discourse on African identity, but I didn’t quite catch any of that.
Boluwatife: Amaarae has largely delivered throughout her career, so I knew she was going to come correct again. She’s one of those forward-thinking artists who take the kind of risks most others wouldn’t, but she always manages to make it work. She’s proven to be a musical omnivore who constantly meshes her wide-ranging influences into something new, fluid, icy, and more often than not, sensual. I knew ‘Black Star’ wasn’t going to be any different.
WHAT SONGS STOOD OUT ON THE FIRST LISTEN?
Wale: I liked “Girlie-Pop!.” I feel like it captures Amaarae’s vision of pushing Afropop into the future. She’s also really grown comfortable with music and lyricism and will not dumb down her message for anybody. The instrumental for “Girlie-Pop!” is also a wonder; it’s so dense, but there are pockets for Amaarae to be emotive about her feelings. Top song!
Daniel Akins: I need to hear “B2B” at the next rave I’m at. Amaarae is in her Dance era, and I’m here for it. Kiss Me Thru The Phone pt 2” with PinkPantheress is the collaboration I knew I needed, and I’m glad they finally linked up. It’s a clear standout on the project; their ethereal style complements each other.
Shina: “B2B” was the one that did it for me. That is my favourite track on the project. The number of times I ran it back was unhealthy for a first listen. It was also really fun to catch the Don Toliver “Best You Had” sample. I need to hear this outside!
HOW WELL YOU THINK THE GUEST APPEARANCES ENHANCED THE LISTENING EXPERIENCE?
Israel: The guest features on Black Star aren’t mere flexes. They’re strategic, theatrical, and sometimes emotionally resonant. They enhance, yes, but they do so on Amaarae’s terms. A standout for me was PinkPantheress on “Kiss Me Thru The Phone pt 2.” The tradeoff is that a few songs feel like dazzling cameos rather than an integrated conversation, yet overall they enhance the album’s drama, texture, and bravado with precision.
Daniel Banjoko: Everyone showed up and delivered, no weak links here. Instead of just guest spots, they felt like vital pieces of a bigger puzzle. Charlie Wilson on “Dream Scenario” nailed his part especially, making the track sound exactly like its name promises.
Moore: The guest appearances on ‘Black Star’ feel very intentional; each one enhances the album’s world without overshadowing Amaarae’s vision. PinkPantheress’s signature airy delivery meshes with Amaarae’s experimental pop sound. Naomi Campbell’s commanding voice on “ms60” is an unexpected but powerful addition, adding drama to the track. Each feature feels carefully chosen.
WHAT SONG IS THE BIGGEST SKIP?
Bamise: Not to be a party pooper, but I don’t get the PinkPantheress collab, “Kiss Me Thru The Phone pt 2.” It feels like a PinkPantheress song with less pop in it, and just borrows the title of the iconic Soulja Boy song but has no other similarities. It’s between that and “ms60.” For me, the chorus of that sounds like something I’ve heard from Amaarae before, and I doubt its absence would have diminished the album.
Shina: I feel like biggest skip is a strong word for a solid project, but if I have to pick a song to skip, it’ll be “ms60.” I think it’s easily forgettable.
Wale: It’s hard to single out a song that stuck out to me, but hearing Naomi Campbell on “ms60” threw me off. It’s just too contrived to bear for me.
WHAT SONG HAS THE BIGGEST HIT POTENTIAL?
Boluwatife: My gut answer would probably be “She Is My Drug,” just because of how she beautifully reworks the melodies from Cher’s “Believe.” DJ remixes of this song could go crazy. But if I were to think a bit more logically, TikTok would probably lap up “Kiss Me Thru The Phone pt 2.”
Daniel Banjoko: “Kiss Me Thru the Phone pt 2” goes crazy. Amaarae and PinkPantheress are the perfect match. This collab feels like it was destined to happen, and it delivers in full. Honestly, I can’t believe it took this long, and now I just need more tracks from these two, ASAP.
Moore: “Kiss Me Thru The Phone pt 2” has the biggest hit potential on the album. The song has a nostalgic, sad party girl vibe that makes it appealing, and it’s also catchy and well-produced. PinkPantheress consistently performs well on platforms like TikTok, and her fanbase overlaps in a really interesting way with Amaarae’s. The collaboration feels organic and exciting, and will likely create a lot of buzz.
OVERALL FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Wale: There is a very visceral quality to how Amaarae expresses desire that I don’t hear very often in a lot of music. It’s abstracted and warped in futuristic textures, but it’s very profoundly human, and it’s always great to hear that even as she advances the sonics of her delivery. I do, however, have an issue with the thematic scope of ‘Black Star.’ I thought there would be overt references to her experiences of navigating her Ghanaian identity, but those references are limited to samples and interpolations. It’s still an incisive listen and a triumph for finding ways to advance music from Africa.
Bamise: It’s Amaarae; she can never go wrong. But for me, this is the album that excites me the least from her catalogue. Other than how bass-heavy some songs on the album are, like “S.M.O.” and “She Is My Drug” among others, it feels similar to other projects I’ve heard from her in a way that’s not exactly refreshing or mind-bending. I may have gotten spoiled by how diverse and eclectic Amaarae’s music tends to be, but I wanted more from her. I expected more gangster, Hip-Hop Amaarae. Thematically, I didn’t get anything that gives the Black Star of Ghana, or black stars are ruling the world. Will I listen again and enjoy every bit of it still, though? Yes, I will.
Shina: So first off, this is a solid body of work. I love the fact that Amaarae stuck with the Dance, Electro-Pop route she was going with throughout the album. The features also played their part, adding their unique touches to each record. I would say, though, a feature I would’ve loved to hear on this project is 070Shake. I think she would have been perfect on “100DRUM,” but we don’t always get what we want, do we? Thematically, I think Amaarae could’ve leaned heavily on her Ghanaian heritage, seeing as the title and cover of the album are a nod to that. Maybe Amaarae just wants us to dance, and that’s what I’m just gonna do, and you should too.
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