By Reuben Adewale
LIAHM has always been ready for this. He has felt the music connection in his veins since he was a young boy, blessing the microphone on his church stage for listeners’ ears. He was born ready for this and has no plans to slow down anytime soon.
We caught up with him to discuss his journey as an independent artist, his first-ever body of work, and his performance at one of the interesting festivals in the city of Lagos, Nigeria.
How did your musical journey start?
LIAHM: My musical journey started when I was younger, growing up in church because I grew up in a godly home. I discovered that I was attracted to music while growing up, so from there, I started working on myself. I became a chorister, and after secondary school, I began writing and exploring, listening to new music and stuff, on a path to finding myself. So from there, it has been God all the way.
So the love for music has always been there?
LIAHM: It has always been there. I have always known from the very beginning that I would end up doing something that has to do with music.
You have seen it coming.
LIAHM:: Exactly.
So you started releasing songs in 2023, and you have your debut EP out now. How does it feel releasing your first project?
LIAHM: I am excited; I am pumped because I have been on the music journey for a while now, and I have always wanted to drop my first single. But the inspiration, push, and drive came last year (2023), when everything was working in my favor and according to God’s plan. It was as if God was aligning everything, and it just happened, and I had to release.
Congratulations on your release because there is a lot of work that goes into releasing a project.
LIAHM: Thank you so much.
From the title ‘Too Young for This,’ I can’t help but wonder where the theme and the inspiration of the EP came from.
LIAHM: The name of the album came from a place of freedom. I just wanted a lot of hearts to heal from hearing this because I feel many young people go through a lot emotionally, financially, and more. I feel the pressure is not for their age, our age. Yeah, we can be pressured and stuff, but not at this time in our lives when we are young.
I was trying to express how much I wanted to be at ease in everything I do. I do not want the stress of growing up. I was also expressing the fact that I do not want toxic love; I just wanted something that I can be happy and comfortable with, and everything else. In the ‘Saint’ track, I was trying to tell the girl that I am not a saint; I do not have to be perfect; I can’t be the perfect man that you solely desire. In the ‘Fraud’ track, I wanted love, but I knew that I was a fraud, and that was what I was expressing in the track.
Why do you feel that way?
LIAHM: I felt like a fraud because I am not perfect, but I want perfect love from a perfect woman. That’s a fraud to me. I feel everything still surrounds the fact that there is pressure going on, and I do not want it. That was the inspiration behind the project.
From your tracklist breakdown, I can see the connection between each track and the project title itself. What was the process like while making the tracks, putting them together, and the selection generally, along with the theme you had? Likewise, beat selection, writing process, because all songs were written by you. How was the overall process?
LIAHM: The process was very swift and enjoyable. It was a recording camp, but then I did not have it in mind that I was going to drop a project. I just wanted to explore, get familiar with my sound, so we worked on a lot of songs, and they were all fire and too good to just leave (laughs), so we started pitching it out to investors.
What recording camp was it?
LIAHM: It was just my producer and I.
Interviewer: So, five songs, 13 minutes, are we going to get extras and more singles?
LIAHM: Definitely. This year, what I plan to do is to just go hard, back to back, no stopping. I don’t want any loopholes or anything of any kind, and I do not want people to ask, ‘where did you disappear to?’
Like Frank Ocean? (laughs)
LIAHM: Yeah (laughs). So, it is back to back this year.
I believe more singles are coming because you just released your project right at the first quarter of the year.
LIAHM: Yeah, I am even thinking of doing some remixes to some songs on the project.
That is great. Who are you looking forward to having on the remix?
LIAHM: It is a secret (laughs).
(laughs) That is fine. I understand the process that goes into it.
So this is your first body of work, no features, just solo. Do you look forward to collaborating with mainstream artists?
LIAHM: Definitely, definitely. I have some collaborations with some artists. I have had a session with Shine TTW, Runda, and I am looking forward to having sessions with Omah Lay, Victony, Burna Boy.
Can you touch on the mixture of your songs’ genres?
LIAHM: There is no name attached to my music genre. I just like making songs about how life has been, my experiences and perceptions, just everything about me that I reflect, and I put them into music. So today, I might feel I want to do Afropop, and tomorrow it might be different. It is just as it comes.
Who are the top three artists you look up to?
LIAHM: I look up to Burna Boy, Omah Lay, and Victony.
What are your favorite songs from them?
LIAHM: One of my favorite songs from Burna Boy is “Heaven’s Gate.” The song made me realize that an artist can be very versatile; you do not have to be restricted to one box or genre of music. Then Omah Lay, from his very first track, I have been hooked on his discography. And Victony, his pen game is second to none; it’s crazy, and that is what I feel Afrobeats should be all about, it should be very, very intentional.
Looking at your fashion style and visual content, from your display photos to visualizers, do you direct them?
LIAHM: Yes i do, I have a team too. So what I do is that I tell them what I want and let them know what is on my mind, like a video around a recorded song. I explain and give a description of what I was feeling when I made the song, where my head was, and what I think will be best for that particular video.
So my fashion is a reflection of my music; it is the same thing.
Connected?
LIAHM: Exactly, connected.
So which celebrity fashion style do you rock with?
LIAHM: Asake, for sure. He has a sick fashion sense. Wizkid is also one of them, likewise Rema. I resonate with Asake’s fashion sense more.
So you’ve got your project out now. What is your favorite song off it?
LIAHM: I don’t think I have one; it changes all the time, and every song on the EP is my favorite.
Well, “Shot” is my favorite song off it.
LIAHM: I like “Shot” too.
So you are independent. How does it feel?
LIAHM: It is very stressful, I cannot lie; it is challenging. Sometimes you have to make decisions yourself. Well, I have a team, and we just keep pushing regardless.
With the rise of music festival culture in Nigeria, which festival are you looking forward to performing at?
LIAHM: I have actually performed at Boj’s Our Land Fest, the first edition in December 2023 in Lagos.
Tell me about your experience.
LIAHM: It was great, really. I did not expect anybody to know my stuff so well because at that time my project was not out, only “No Stress” was out, but surprisingly, while I performed, I saw people vibe to the song, and I was confident. To be honest, I expected nothing less because I have been performing in church for years, so there was no stage fright or such; I just went there and did my thing.
So, did you get to meet people?
LIAHM: Yeah, I met Boj; he’s my guy.
Which other festivals are you looking forward to?
LIAHM: Homecoming, Mainland Block Party, and I would love to do a campus tour too.
I like that you are looking forward to a campus tour. I am looking forward to seeing you on more stages.
LIAHM: Thank you.
Which foreign artists are you currently feeling?
LIAHM: SZA, Chris Brown, Brent Faiyaz.
When should we expect more songs from you, remixes? Features?
LIAHM: Yeah, I don’t want to say much; I am more of a surprise guy.
Should we expect videos too?
LIAHM: Yeah, the ‘Fraud’ video is coming up very soon.
Any shoutouts?
LIAHM: First, I want to thank my listeners. The kind of music I put up requires deep listening, and they are listening, so I really appreciate them. And I noticed that I have been getting buzz from Kenya, shoutout to the people in Kenya.
Shoutout to my team, Matrix, Ore, big shoutout to my team at Orchard. Shoutout to 49th Street too.
Listen to LIAHM’S Debut EP – ‘TOO YOUNG FOR THIS’ right here –
