NATIVE Exclusive: WurlD knows that he’s here to stay
We spoke to the velvet-voiced singer/songwriter about the deluxe edition of 'AFROSOUL' (EP) and the lead-up to his proper debut LP
In May, WurlD dropped ‘AFROSOUL’, his third EP within the span of thirteen months. Consolidating his prowess for sublime vocal delivery, emotive writing, and expanding on his colourful sonic palette, the 7-song set was WurlD’s latest statement, and a resounding on. “You know, ‘AFROSOUL’ just confirmed that I am here to stay”, the singer recently told me, with an exclamatory tone in his voice.
‘AFROSOUL’ was as much of a celebration of the fans WurlD had accrued with preceding EPs, as it was a final notice to any remaining unbelievers who held doubts about his abilities. Where ‘Love Is Contagious’ ambitiously melded his western pop sensibilities with African grooves, and ‘I Love Girls With Trobul’ paired him with exquisitely layered afro-house meets electro-pop production by prolific afropop savant, Sarz, ‘AFROSOUL’ found WurlD embracing and exhibiting the African facets of his artistry even more. “The project was more afro, more pidgin; the project was me showing more of my African-ness,” he explains.
Although the project is six months old — which seems like a lifetime ago consider the pandemic and civil unrest that has dominated this year — WurlD isn’t moving on from ‘AFROSOUL’ just yet. Today, the singer has released a deluxe edition of the project, which includes two new tracks: “Bossy”, which features a stellar 16 from UK-based rapper Kida Kudz and an unorthodox but memorable appearance from Cuppy, and the Tempoe-produced “Chop & Pray”.
“I released ‘AFROSOUL’ during lockdown, we didn’t really get a chance to celebrate the songs,” WurlD says of the decision to reissue the EP with new songs. “Also, I felt like I wasn’t really ready to release the album and my fans should definitely get new music.” Both new songs reinforce WurlD’s mastery of spinning romantic narratives into catchy bops, with the singer’s velvety voice earnestly gliding over bewitching grooves.
In the lead up to ‘AFROSOUL (Deluxe Edition)’, we caught up with the singer to talk about the new release, immediate future plans and the situation of his debut album. Our Conversation, which follows below, has been lightly condensed and edited for clarity.
NATIVE: The world has been quite turbulent since you dropped ‘AFROSOUL’. How have you been coping and what things did you learn about yourself?
WurlD: I realised that I’m actually an inside person, I spent most of my time inside. During lockdown, it felt normal for the most part, I was always in the studio recording; I’m a studio rat. I realised I spent like 90% of my time inside, because there’s a studio in my house, and most times I travel with my home set-up. Also, the importance of being close to family, spending some of that time with them has been a blessing. It’s kinda helped in preserve who I am as a person and with my career. Before Covid, I had some balance in my life, but during Covid, I realised it wasn’t there and I was just trying to figure things out within myself. Then I was just like, “do what feels right”.
What did you think ‘AFROSOUL’ did for you within the context of your career?
You know, ‘AFROSOUL’ just confirmed that I am here to stay. With the previous projects, some people might have felt I got lucky or whatever, but the thing is, I was actually working on these projects at the same time. Everything is intentional, and ‘AFROSOUL’ for me was a celebration, a celebration of my fans, and musically, I just wanted to celebrate Nigeria and Africa. The project was more afro, more pidgin; the project was me showing more of my African-ness. These songs, from “National Anthem” to “Story” to “Wayo”, have my African side on them. I wanted my fans to see another dimension of myself and appreciate it, and I think I did that. I’m very grateful for all the support, I cherish that. Like now, I consider my fans in whatever I’m creating.
Why are you choosing to drop a deluxe edition of the project six months later?
You know, this isn’t something that’s really popular in Nigeria, but I’m a very detailed artist with a wider perspective. Living in America, seeing how things are done, everything is very intentional and stuff like this is celebrated like a new release. I released ‘AFROSOUL’ during lockdown, we didn’t really get a chance to celebrate the songs. Also, I felt like I wasn’t really ready to release the album and my fans should definitely get new music. With the pandemic and all the other stuff happening, this year feels like a double-year, and the fact that the project came out in May feels like I released it a year ago. Since it’s not time for the album, I felt like the best way to drop new music was to repackage ‘AFROSOUL’, to add two more songs that I’m very passionate about, just to get people to have a good time.
What do you think these two songs add to the arch of the EP?
Here’s the thing, I know what my fans like. I have different types of fans, I have the “Show You Off” fans, and I have the “Ghost Town” fans too, and this EP kind of catered to those guys. I know there are “Trobul” fans as well, and I think they felt left out of the project. So, this is me acknowledging that – being an artist by showing range to my music, and it was like, “this is the middle”. These were the two songs I would have added, because I had them in the can all along as well. It was just about combining these different facets of fans and catering to them all at once.
Do you enjoy actively thinking of satisfying a fan base that understands that diversity?
Yeah, I enjoy it and I think it’s a blessing. It’s important to have range and fans that appreciate it, I come from a background where I learnt to make different types of music. But one thing that fans will understand more is that these are my ideas, and I’ve even recorded most of the songs for the next year. I’m getting close to a full album, and I’m putting my best forward while learning as I go. The album is not going to be one-sided, at most two-sides, but I don’t think it will show all three sides. Some fans may not get what they like the most, but they will come to realise that WurlD is always going to be WurlD, from the concept, the lyrics, the delivery; my execution is always going to be of the highest quality.
How did you come to work with Kida Kudz and Cuppy on “Bossy”?
I actually got in Kida’s DMs. I’ve been a fan of Kida Kudz from the “Jiggy Bop” record, for me I love his tone, I love his voice, it’s unique. When I messaged him, he literally replied in like five minutes, like, “yo, WurlD, I’m a fan, I’ve been listening to your tunes”. I was a bit surprised, and at the time I had “Bossy”, so I just asked him to get on it. I sent him the record, he pushed it back almost immediately and it was great.
If you listen to “Bossy”, it’s a visual song, I wanted to paint a scenario, and Cuppy was the person to bring that out, since she seems like the kind of person that lives what the song is about. I didn’t just want it to be anyone, the feature is very unorthodox. I and Cuppy on a song might not be ideal on paper to many Nigerians, but what they’re missing is that there’s so many ways to collaborate with people without diminishing each artist’s value. There’s so many ways to do it, and this is just one way.
Yeah, and it reminds of the skit (“Nobody Wins (Interlude)”) from ‘ILGWT’.
The skit gets wilder and the conversation gets wilder, right? It’s all part of it. We don’t do enough skits in this region. Like, this is entertainment and this is part of it, keeping people entertained with not just good music. I wanted it to be like this is some real life shit, like this depicts how women can love you and want you to be there, but they have options if you’re not forthcoming. Nowadays, women flex their autonomy and they do have more options. There’s even one line on “Bossy” where I sang, “I’m one of your many types, but tonight I’m the only one on your mind”. The skit just makes the theme and experience of the song much better.
Interesting. It makes me want to ask how you write, like do you go with the flow or are you always intentional about your themes?
Yeah, I like to go with the flow, the beats, the vibes, the energy. Conversations are also really important to me, a song can have a theme but conversations help in making sure they’re detailed, even if it’s a fun record. For example, “Mad” is such a catchy, fun record, but if you listen very well to it, it’s highly conversational. For me, I go with how I feel, I take in my surroundings, I observe people around me, I listen to friends because I want to make sure my music communicates with people.
Has being focused on being an artist affected you writing songs for other artists?
No, I’m always open to collaborating with artists in that capacity. I actually have a song coming with BOJ, we worked on a couple records, one on his EP and he did one for me on a future project. I’ve been working with different artists in Nigeria whose work I love, just doing writing sessions with both established artists and those on the come-up. For me, I’m just very focused on my narrative and goals, I don’t just look for artists to write songs for, but I do reach out to artists that I’m a fan of, like, “I’m working on something, what do you think about it? Maybe we should do this together?” If they sound good, then I’m all for it.
You’ve worked with Sarz and Shizzi, it really doesn’t get bigger than those two in Nigeria, but which other producers would you like to work with, that you haven’t already?
I’m working with a lot of them now. You know what, I like Rexxie. I love what he does, and it will be unorthodox. Rexxie does a lot of the street anthems, but I know that if I work with someone like that, I’m going to bring out a new side to him. He probably already has it, but I could be the artist that helps unlock it on a bigger level, because he clearly has amazing vibrations already. Off the top of my head, he’s the only one right now, and we probably will be working very soon.
You’ve been talking about setting up the album, how far away are you from putting it out?
I think the album is close, but the timing of the release is one thing I’m not sure of yet. The release is part of the process, and we’re still adding and editing stuff every day. But the bulk of the album is ready, I’d say probably 80% of the album. Before then, I have a lot of collaborations coming, like the stuff I’ve done with Asa. We haven’t decided how much of the stuff we recorded is coming out, but I’m excited for people to hear what we did. Basically, it’s a lot of collaborations, from Diamond Platinumz to a lot of people I worked with when I lived in Atlanta, who’ve gone on to become some of the biggest names in that scene. You guys are going to be hearing a lot of WurlD, from Afrobeat to Trap, just fusing the vibes and I’m always going to be experimenting.
Dennis is a staff writer at the NATIVE. Let me know your favourite the Cavemen songs @dennisadepeter
ICYMI: Read Our Best New Music Special On WurlD’s ‘AFROSOUL’
Txmmyily Is All About Having The Time Of His Life On “Jaiye”
Produced by Dan Akins, “Jaiye” is a no-frills party anthem that sees Txmmyily run through his bucket list...
Rising singer Txmmyily has released a new single, “Jaiye,” continuing to showcase the inventive streak that has earned him praise for his music. Produced by Dan Akins, “Jaiye” is a no-frills party anthem that sees Txmmyily run through his bucket list for enjoying a great time while reminiscing on a past romance that he’s still pining after. It’s his first release since putting out “Angelina” in April 2025.
Txmmyily has been steadily building momentum since he first released “Rack$” in 2022. His recent songs have proven his continued ability to command attention. “Body Work” with Mavo surpassed one million streams, while “Angelina” crossed the 400,000 mark, cementing his growing fanbase and credibility as one of Afrobeats’ most exciting new voices.
With “Jaiye,” Txmmyily is preparing to break barriers. Even before the song’s release, it was eagerly anticipated by fans and onlookers, with over 2,000+ sounds created on social media platforms. The buzz continues to rise with the announcement of a visually striking music video.
Directed by Jupefruit, the video draws inspiration from the song’s thematic direction, featuring the singer performing on stage before an enraptured audience. It cuts to several scenes of him lounging with friends before ending with clips and stills from a performance.
Listen to “Jaiye” here.
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Maya Amolo Explores The Intricacies Of Romance On ‘The Sweetest Time’
The Sweetest Time’ finds Amolo delivering more of the same soulful cuts and melancholy ballads that have...
Maya Amolo has released her sophomore album titled ‘The Sweetest Time.’ The album, which was officially announced about two weeks ago, comes as the follow-up to the Kenyan rising star’s 2024 EP ‘What A Feeling.’ While the 5-track EP explored a Dance subgenres in an homage to her home city, Nairobi, ‘The Sweetest Time’ finds Amolo delivering more of the same soulful cuts and melancholy ballads that have earned her renown, only making subtle production adjustments that help keep her sound fresh.
The album’s eponymous lead single arrived earlier in March, a tender earworm featuring fellow Kenyan singer Ywaya Tajiri, which set the tone for what much of her latest full-length release would sound like. The follow-up single, “Guidance,” which was released in May, radiated a similar warmth, as she softly sings about a love interest’s endearing qualities over some moving piano chords.
On the album’s third and final single, “Look The Other Way,” Amolo takes a break from her sweet girl persona, directly confronting, according to her, “internet thugs” who do too much online but lack the same energy in real life. The Kenyan R&B singer, however, does not dedicate much of ‘The Sweetest Time’ to detractors; instead, she channels her energy to familiar love-inspired themes that have continually served as the bedrock of much of her music.
Tracks like the sombre opener “October 10th,” the percussion-driven “Hollon,” “I Like It,” a sensual duet with AYLØ, and the wistful ballad “Truth Be Told,” immediately stand out on ‘The Sweetest Time,’ serving as testament to the rising singer’s supple vocals, which she seems to be having more command over, and her poignant songwriting skills.
While she largely delivers on the sort of acoustic, tender tunes she’s come to be known for, the back end of the album houses a few tracks like the Dance-influenced “Miss Me,” “Flawless,” a collaboration with upcoming rapper Albeezy and the Baile-Funk-inspired “Hocus Pocus,” that clearly highlights the Kenyan singer’s expanding sonic palette and her ability to seamlessly navigate different genres.
Listen to ‘The Sweetest Time’ here.
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CRALOR BOI CIC IS LIBERIA’S LOCAL CHAMPION
Cralor Boi CIC is solidifying his position at the summit of Liberian music with his sophomore album, ‘Local...
It is impossible to tell the story of Liberia’s music scene over the last fifteen years without a mention of Cralor Boi CIC due to the sheer number of his hits, extended dominance, and a decade-long, multiple award-winning career, which includes a 2018 and 2024 Artiste Of The Year award at the MTN Liberia Music Award, Liberia’s premier music award.
Usually called Cralo or CIC, he has stamped his imprint at the apex of Liberian music, a music scene that has seen its fair share of challenges, which often stagnated growth. However, coming off a 2024 win as Artist of The Year at the MTN Liberia Music Award, a just-concluded tour in the United States, coupled with the July 2025 release of his second solo studio album titled ‘Local Champion,’ CIC has no intention of stopping his dominant streak.
Born Maurice Tosh Gayflor, CIC’s foray into music began as a member of the children’s choir in his local Baptist church in Brewerville, a suburb outside Monrovia, Liberia’s capital city. By the 12th grade, he had started recording music. “Professional music for me started in 2012 when I started recording in the studio,” he tells The NATIVE. “At that stage, I gravitated to music because at an early age, I had anger issues and music helped to calm me, music was my therapy.”
By 2015, CIC scored his first nationwide hit with “Jon Buttay,” an infectious Afropop record that owned the streets as well as the clubs. More importantly, the record was delivered strongly in Liberian colloquial, commonly spelt as koloqua, a unique variant of creole that is widely used throughout Liberia. While Hipco–Liberia’s naming of a subgenre of Hip-hop delivered in koloqua–had seen success, CIC’s delivery in koloqua went on to define his sound and inspire a new generation of artistes, especially ones doing Afropop.
Gbanja Scott, a Liberian rapper and media executive, says that CIC helped redefine the sound. “While there were pioneers who used koloqua in their sound, especially Hipco, CIC stood out because of the way he infused koloqua,” he explains. “He brought his own distinct swag and melody to the use of koloqua. As a result, he is a big influence on how the use of koloqua in music has evolved. These days, you see a lot of artists trying to infuse koloqua and make it more melodious; he played a monumental role in that.”
That position is reiterated by CIC, who now claims it as part of his legacy. “I was intentional in my use of koloqua because I wanted to influence our sound and ensure it was reflective of Liberia,” he says. “I wanted people to hear me and immediately know this is a Liberian artist instead of mistaking me as being from Ghana, Nigeria, or another country. After me, more people became comfortable with infusing koloqua.”
However, much as CIC has come to represent what success means for a Liberian artist, his dominance and success are as much because of Liberia as it is despite it.
While Liberia’s creative scene has received limited international coverage in recent times, the country’s music scene experienced relative success in the past, especially in the 1970s and 1980s. The country even hosted American singer and civil rights activist, Nina Simone, who briefly relocated to the country in the 1970s. The local scene has also influenced music in the region, with Liberian Kru music being one of the underlying pillars of West African Highlife.
Unfortunately, civil unrest and the bitter legacy of two civil wars fought from the 1990s to the early 2000s set back the music scene, and have largely defined reporting on the country. Consequently, in part due to the war, and also as a result of numerous challenges, including limited investment in the creative sector, the music scene has experienced restricted growth. These challenges include a lack of adequate venues to host concerts nationwide, high data costs, and low internet penetration, which have made streaming a less viable source of income for artists. There’s also the prevalence of poverty, which limits the spending power of music consumers.
“Although there are studios everywhere, we are also lacking in skilled personnel for mixing and mastering,” Scott notes. “As a result, a lot of artistes have to send their records out of the country to have them properly mixed and mastered. There are not enough video production houses, and there are no proper industry structures. Also, artistes find it hard to access publishing and publishing rights.”
Due to these challenges and limited access to international distribution channels, Liberia has been unable to take advantage of the renewed global focus on African music. Nonetheless, these challenges have inspired CIC. “As an independent artist in Liberia, it can be hard to execute ideas without significant investments,” he admits. “But we have to make it work, so it’s better not just for everyone, but also for the ones coming after us”.
More significantly, CIC’s current run of success comes after a period of personal struggle. Between 2021 and 2022, CIC was virtually absent from the music scene, dropping only two songs during this period. He needed the time away to deal with his mental health. In a January 2023 Instagram post, he spoke about what he was going through, stating that, “I’ve had suicidal thoughts and issues of mental health.”
Undeterred, he has since made a comeback. He went on to release “Don’t Give Up On Me” in January 2023, a gospel-inflected record that captured CIC’s plea to a divine figure not to give up on him. That song would propel his ascent back to the top of the scene as he dropped several tracks culminating in his 2024 win in the Artist Of The Year category at the MTN Liberia Music Award and the subsequent release of ‘Local Champion’ in July 2025.
His triumph in the Artist Of The Year category specifically lifted his spirits. “The win meant a lot, it was a comeback trophy for me,” he says. “It was important for me, especially coming off of my break. These days, my mental health is better, I am more engaged, and I am also having more discussions around mental health. These discussions are not just with myself, but with others, and I inspire people by sharing how I coped with depression; if I can do it, they can as well.”
His sophomore album, ‘Local Champion,’ is a testament to the singer’s longevity, solidifying his position at the apex of Liberia’s music scene. “Critics have said my music was purely koloqua and as a result, it wouldn’t move beyond borders,” he noted, “They said the sound wasn’t international, but koloqua is the way we speak, it is our identity. That’s why I titled my ‘Local Champion,’ I want my sound to carry our identity. Being a local champion is a tag I own.”
The 15-track LP gives listeners a 43-minute crash course on contemporary Liberian pop music, guided by CIC’s smooth signature delivery in koloqua. With features including Liberian stars Stunn and Lyrical Joe, as well as Nigerian rapper, Dremo, on two songs, it’s a coronation of sorts for CIC. ‘Local Champion’ also sees him expand his sound to explore other genres like Reggae, Drill, and Amapiano. “This album is about the sounds I wanted. I have always wanted that variety, to have my discography have a touch of everything,” he shares. “With this album, I got to do that, I did something on Reggae, did some acoustic music, I am proud of the album.”
While the album has seen initial positive reviews locally, for CIC, it’s just another step in crafting his legacy: “The album is out, I am taking it one day at a time. I am making Liberian music and defining our sound. I am proud to be a local champion of my people.”
Listen to ‘Local Champion’ here.
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