Udomboso John popularly known as “Young Jonn the Wicked Producer” has completed his transition into music full time, after a while of just being a producer. His smash hit “Dada” has entered the Top 10 in the apple music charts in Nigeria, making him the second producer-cum-artiste to achieve this feat this year (second only to Pheelz). “Dada” is so much of a hit that the almighty Davido recently graced the remix with a verse, and currently sits pretty at the top 3 on the Top 10 charts; doings! His journey in the music industry has been worthy of note, with the artiste gaining superstar status during the YBNL spell of Lil Kesh and Olamide, as well as Zinoleesky recently. Now, he sets off on the pathway of blending his astounding production skills with his sonorous voice.
Dominic from the 49th street sits down with him in this short but interesting interview about his transition;
Dom: You’ve been the wicked producer for years. The wickedest for a while in fact. When did you discover that singing talent beam in your life?
Young Jonn: Singing has always been something I’ve been doing. I’ve always been recording music. It just never felt like the right time to go all in.
Dom – Transitioning into music full time, what exactly was the inspiration for you? Did you always know you will transition?
Young Jonn: I won’t call it a transition per se. I’m just ready to go all the way with the music at this moment.
Dom: What was it like signing on for Chocolate City?
Young Jonn: Signing to Chocolate city was a great thing for me. At this stage of my life, I decided to finally go into music and I’m thankful for the fact that I have a great team helping me make the whole process easier and better. It is all evident on the charts, so much hard work my label and I have put into pushing my songs. So yeah, it’s a great feeling at the end of the day.
Dom: You’re now doing music full time as an artiste; how does this feel? Does the spotlight differ from the spotlight you were getting as a producer?
Young Jonn: It feels good. It’s a privilege to have the opportunity to express my art in another form, a more expressive form. Yes, the spotlight differs definitely.
Dom: You had an amazing run with YBNL, what prompted your exit?
Young Jonn: There was no exit from YBNL, for me life works in stages and there’s a stage for everything. I did the things I did with YBNL and it was just me basically playing my own part. YBNL is family, YBNL will always be family.
Dom: Your top-charting song “DADA” has been making waves in the world of Afrobeat. Tell us the creative process and how you felt knowing dropping this song was going to complete the transition process into an artiste for you.
Young Jonn: The creative process of Dada was stress-free. It came easy and stress free. It was made in the middle of the night and had that consistent ringing effect.
Dom: Let’s talk about the remix of Dada. You got one of the big dawgs on the remix; Davido. Tell us how that happened and the creation process with him.
Young Jonn: So Davido is one of the people I really admire. He’s such a hard worker and a great supporter of my art, and I’m more than excited to have him on this remix. He showed support since I dropped Dada and I thought it would only be right to have him on the remix. The recording process was stress-free, we vibed and he recorded his verse then that was it. The remix was brought to life and I’m happy that it’s doing so well on the charts.
Dom: Artists who can produce their own songs are rare, and for you this is like a unique flex. Would you be producing most of your songs or you’ll be willing to accept tunes from other producers?
Young Jonn: I’m indifferent about this. Whether I produce my own songs or not, what matters the most is the song sounding the way I imagine it. I actually enjoy working with other producers a lot cause that way I can create from another head space.
Dom: Which artistes would you love to work with (Both as a producer and as an artiste) and why?
Young Jonn: To be honest, yeah, I would love to work with everybody 😂.
Dom: You’re an inspiration to producers, both popular and unpopular, who might feel they have singing/rapping talents they’ll love to nurture. What would you like to tell anyone listening to you that is struggling with that now?
Young Jonn: You have to always pay attention to your heart and mind. That’s the only way to know the right thing to do at the exact right time.
Dom: Would Young Jonn still be “the wicked producer” or has he hung his boots up to just be “Young Jonn”?
Young Jonn: Always going to be the wicked producer. I love creating music. That’s what I do; either as a producer or a recording artiste. There are actually some very big songs to be released soon that I produced.