It was September 2017 and my friend who was an artist at the time had just put out a single titled “Zone + Your Walls”. He had two guest artists on this song but one of them in particular caught my attention. His style and approach was nothing like I’ve heard before. I searched for his music and went ahead to become a big fan of his. His name, Tim Lyre.
Tim Lyre is a multi talented singer, songwriter and producer from Lagos, Nigeria that has constantly released songs and projects over the years. He released his debut album titled “Worry <“ in March and in this interview, I talk to him about the journey so far, the new album & what’s next for him.
We’re somewhere in Lekki, Lagos, Nigeria. Tim is as relaxed as ever. He’s wearing a blue hoodie with “Euphoria” written on it and a pastel looking pant. He’s drinking water from a glass cup, texting on his phone while patiently waiting for us to get into the business of the day. We finally got somewhere quiet enough to have a conversation.
Congrats on the album big man.
Yes, Thank you. Thank you.
It’s been 7 years since your first single dropped. How has the journey been so far?
It’s been interesting but like, in a rewarding way. I feel like people who listen to my music will notice I try to be very intentional with it so I’ve missed out on a lot of opportunities because of that but still I’m happy I didn’t compromise anything. So it’s been long but very rewarding.
Why did the debut album take that long? I know art and its creation process takes time but 7 years, that’s a very long time.
Like you’ve said, I feel like these things take time especially if you want to do something very special. I always knew if I was going to make an album, it had to be a moment in itself. I started recording the album in 2018 & it still took us 2-3 years to finalise everything because of all the crazy things that started happening like Covid. But i still feel, it just proves that if the music was able to last this long then i did something right. I just feel you shouldn’t rush things if you feel like at the end of the day it would still have the same value.
Worry Less, what inspired that name. Was it some form of self encouragement ?
In a way, it’s a bit of that and it’s also to inspire people as well because the world just started becoming more insane by the day. chaos everywhere & even till now there’s still crazy things happening so i just wanted to make music that’s just the opposite of that. So if you listen to that album, it’s going to take you out of whatever it is that’s worrying you.
That makes a lot of sense, how long did it take to make the album?
I think 3 years altogether. The recording took a year and a half, we took a few months to mix, master and finalise things then we had to properly plan the roll out. So let’s say 3 years.
These days everyone defines their genre. What genre would you classify your music as?
I think I’ve found out now that the easiest way to classify it is Afro-fusion. If you’ve listened to my album you are going to notice how diverse the sounds are and that is kinda how my brain works but I feel there’s still a consistent thing about the project which is the fact that it has Nigerian and African elements. Afro-fusion is the safest way to describe it.
I noticed you love working with the same set of people almost every time – Mojo, Prettyboy D-O, Lady Donli. Is it because they’re very accessible and y’all are friends or there’s another reason?
Hmmm, it’s definitely an advantage that we’re friends but also I think because of that i’ve been able to see their dedication and evolution. D-O is probably the best example, I’ve been recording with him for about 5 or 6 years. He’s someone I know that every single day he wakes up he gets in the studio and even on his social media everyone can see that energy. I’m inspired by people like that everyday, so it’s an advantage that they’re my friends and I’m able to make music with them.
What’s your favorite on the album ?
There are different songs I like for different reasons. Present, I would say is one of my favorites just because of how it’s structured. I’ve never made a song like that before. Just the way the song keeps going and the energy is an energy I didn’t know I could capture. Spanish Lime is also one of my favorites, it’s just so musical.
Your songwriting is very solid and not so many people write like that. I want to know where that strength comes from, is it because you’ve been writing for a long time or why?
Hmm. I think that’s part of it, I’ve been writing for a long time. But also I’m lucky in the sense that I have a wider musical background than most people. I studied music and have been able to read and write music since I was 10. I play the piano and all that and I also grew up in church. So it’s something that’s just there.
Are there any plans to write for people?
Oh yeah I’ve been doing that a lot recently. There’s a few things I’ve done that I can’t really disclose but yeah. There was a time I used to write songs for stage plays at Terra Kulture about 5 years ago.
Outer South, tell me about that.
Outer south is an Independent Label. It happened to be an opportunity that fell in my lap when I was thinking about making an album. The founder of the label, Adam is someone I’ve known for about 3 years. He used to help me with music distribution and so from there we just got to talking about music and told me his ideas and I loved it. Initially, we wanted to do an EP but then I just continued recording and it became an album. He’s a DJ as well so he’s very musically inclined. He actually listens to the music.
Who do you see yourself working with? What’s your dream collaboration?
Outside Nigeria, I’ll say Chronixx. He’s one of my favorite artists. His music is just right and straight to the point. There’s no other way to describe it. *laughs*
What about in Nigeria, Any artistes or producers?
Producers, I think Spax. He’s one of my favorite producers but I’ve connected with him recently so that’s done. Another person is Cobhams, the only reason I say this is because of that first Asa album. It’s one of my favorite albums of all time and he produced a good chunk of it. P Priime as well, he’s my favorite young producer.
I’m curious, what kind of music do you listen to? If you were going to make a playlist what kind of music would be on it?
You’ll find a lot of rap music sha *laughs*. I like listening to rappers that rap like they’re telling a story. I feel like rappers are probably the best songwriters. I listen to a lot of RnB too but I’m always looking for new music anywhere so I find a lot of weird artists that do the kind of music you can’t really box. So yeah it’s different things.
So, what’s next for Tim Lyre?
I have a couple of singles lined up for this year. I have a feature with some South African DJs so I’m looking forward to that as well. I have a live show happening soon as well. I’m just recording new music again so that’s exciting for me too.
Nice one man. Wishing you all the best.
Thank you.