Nigerian musician, singer, songwriter and performing artiste Lekan Osifeso Jnr. (Lojay) has recently released his sophomore EP titled “Gangsta Romantic”, after his big international break with Monalisa featuring Chris Brown and Sarz.
The Afrobeats singer talks about the making of the EP, shares the production process of his lead single MOTO, and he also hints at future international collaborations in this exhilarating interview with Dominic for the 49th Street.
What genre of afrobeats represents and describes your sound?
LOJAY: Afro-pop, encompassing the word of faith.
What persona do you think your music represents? Bad boy in love or a gangster who doesn’t care much about love?
LOJAY: It’s both, actually. I am a lover boy in a dangerous world, and that has had effects on me. It changed me in ways, and a result of that is Gangsta Romantic.
Who do you think you predominately make music for? Girls or guys? Or gender neutral?
LOJAY: An Instagram statistic says I have over 75% male listeners. I feel like I make music for people to feel sexy, to feel in charge of themselves, in charge of situations. It’s music that feeds the soul, talking about things that you probably aren’t thinking about sometimes but don’t want to talk about. Basically, my music helps you speak and feel sexy and speak your sexiness into existence, and that’s not limited to girls.
What theme should we expect from your new project? Same vibes with your debut project?
LOJAY: Yes. “Love and attention” was a romantic project, and “Gangsta Romantic” is an anti-romantic project. Like yin and yang. They are like two sides of a coin. It’s an anti-romantic project for people that are no longer in love, or are not in love, miss being in love or don’t want to be in love. It’s for people that are outside that love bubble.
How close are we to getting a Lojay album?
LOJAY: Quite close, actually (laughs). You know, every time people ask me that question, I remember one video of Davido I saw. He was in front of his Audi G, then, and he was like, ‘I am not dropping an album until I see a million dollars’, and at that time, a million dollars for an Afrobeat artist sounded impossible (now look at Afrobeats now). However, an album is definitely in the works; an album would definitely be released in its due time. I can’t say, maybe less than a year, but I have a lot of music to give before I get to that point.
Tell us about the creation process for your latest single Moto.
LOJAY: I started making MOTO in an airport in Switzerland. There was an 18-hour delay, and I had nothing to do, so I started making the beats. I was going to Malta. When I got to Malta, I figured out the key, and I started recording bits of the song because I already had an idea of what I wanted to create. On the flight from Malta to London, I started adding the pieces together because I knew what flow I wanted and the direction I wanted the song to go. Once I got to London, the song was done, and I went straight to record it.
Sweet! Do the lyrics of Moto have any strong representation to you?
LOJAY: Moto is an ode to one of my exes of mine that I loved very much, but as it would be, shege was presented to me on a platter of gold, and I collected it. I reflected on that experience, and I gave my little ode to that.
What’s your message to fans out there that have been anticipating the new Lojay?
LOJAY: I hope you’re loving it. Spread the word and put others on.
Monalisa with Chris Brown was an international hit. How does it feel to be the pioneer of such final success? Should we expect any crazy international collab soon? Any hints?
LOJAY: The timing was very unexpected, but we still dey go. We still have more features to go; many people are without a Lojay verse/chorus, and we have to give it to them. To the second question, the answer is yes! Expect more international collab. Hint: from Europe and America.
How would you describe the creation process with Sarz?
LOJAY: Very detailed and free. He doesn’t impose. He gives artists the opportunity to be themselves and that freedom was what helped us give birth to the project. That’s why his production is always unique, because he lets the artist be themselves.
Are you working on production for other artists?
LOJAY: As of now, no, but it is something I would definitely work towards it.
We know all features are special, but tell us; what’s your favourite Lojay feature till date?
LOJAY: I like all of them because I treat them as my own jam. So, it is hard to pick one or two out of them. However, I love Whistle, Only Fans and a whole lot of others. I put a lot into features, so they are all very special to me.
Who did you grow up listening to, and you’re sure this person definitely influenced your sound?
LOJAY: Wizkid, Wande Cole, Bruno Mars, Lagbaja, Micheal Jackson.
What would you say are your top 2 biggest highlights so far?
LOJAY: Wireless was big. Afro-world in Dubai was immense. O2 gave me the shivers.
Any last words?
LOJAY: I hope you guys love Gangsta Romantic! Carry it on your head, and I love you guys so much.