Naya Akanji is a final year Psychology student of the University of Lagos, Nigeria, singer/songwriter, and lover of languages. Naya spent her formative years in Ketu, moving to Ikorodu at 10 years. Her very dynamic sounds and style suggest that there’s a lot more from where that came from. Right now, we’re going to take a deeper dive into who Naya really is, beneath the music and appearance.
49th Street: Let’s spin straight into the action. Tell us one random thing about yourself?
Naya Akanji: I like chocolate but I hate things that are chocolate flavoured.
49th Street: Interesting. So, you hate when chocolate is further processed into flavours used in unconventional chocolate products. Fair enough. When did you fall in love with music & decide to make a career out of it?
Naya Akanji: My Dad’s obsession with Michael Jackson’s music ignited the love for music in me. Watching him dance around the house to “Don’t stop til’ you get enough” really made me want to make music that would make him dance, too. I started fitting my own words into all the songs I heard soon after that and that probably really helped my songwriting.
49th Street: It’s really great, that your Dad’s entertainment and happiness is a motivating factor. What genre of music do you make? Or you are part of the elite view that don’t like to be boxed up with one particular sound?
Naya Akanji: I don’t know if I’d call it an elite view, lmfao, but yeah. I’d rather not restrict myself to one genre. Music is so diverse and I want to explore as many forms and shapes of it as I can. Right now, I’m super in love with afro-fusion. Tomorrow I might want to do something with more of a pop feel. As long as it’s pretty music, I’m in.
49th Street: Great, keeping things in a broader perspective. Who inspires you musically? Do they have a footprint on your music?
Naya Akanji: My all time favourite artiste is Lagbaja. My Dad played a lot of Western stuff so I used to think that was all there was to music but Lagbaja gave me an appreciation for our traditional sounds. Made me fall in love with Nigerian percussion. I think you can hear some of that on Vivid Emotions.
49th Street: We see your Dad coming into play again. We dare to say, he was the real ‘MVP’, considering his top notch musical preferences and how they rubbed off on you. Do you have a particular phase you get into before making your songs? A ritual or something?
Naya Akanji: Before I get into song making mode, I absolutely need to clear my mind. If I’m worked up about stuff that’s going on in my life or in the studio, it can be a little hard to concentrate. I have a 15-minute recording of brown noise that I got off the internet. I just plug in my ear phones and put it on repeat till I feel calm.
49th Street: If you could feature 3 artists right now, who would they be?
Naya Akanji: If I could feature 3 artists, I’d pick: Aylo, Burna Boy, and Psycho YP.
49th Street: Your choices are cool and diverse. We’d totally want to hear some Naya x Burna Boy. It would be a rage. But hey, think about it. If the music was not there, what would you be doing?
Naya Akanji: If music wasn’t there, I’d be a full time writer. I’m working on a series of horror books for children. Music takes most of my spare time though so the writing hasn’t been all that quick so far.
49th Street: Writing and music. That’s simply amazing. For some reason, the idea of you writing horror doesn’t exactly come off surprising; something about your overall vibe. Then again, there’s more to things than meets the eye. What weird thing do you love about yourself?
Naya Akanji: I have a heart shaped birthmark on my knee. I think it’s just the cutest lil thing lol.
49th Street: A heart-shaped birthmark? Now, that’s really something noteworthy, to be born with a heart on your knee. Could that be a sign? That’s something interesting to think about. So, Naya, what are you really passionate about?
Naya Akanji: I’m really passionate about languages. As a child, I could only communicate in English and Igbo but I picked up Yoruba after secondary school, got to intermediate Korean while in university, and now I’m trying to improve my French.
49th Street: So English, Yoruba, Korean, and French. It won’t be too surprising if these languages ever surface in your music. Like, we’re hearing some typical Naya and we just hear some, “Donne mon ton coeur,” from the blues. That’d be a shocker. Let’s talk about Vivid Emotions now, what brought about the whole concept of the project?
Naya Akanji: Vivid Emotions is a joint project with Lemar Abdul and I had the time of my life working on it. We’ve been friends for a couple of years and we had been playing around recording stuff but we hadn’t done anything serious yet. One day he invited me to his place to listen to new stuff and after I heard one particular beat that gave me goosebumps, I looked at Lemar and jokingly said, “Guy, we go record ep oh.” That beat became Ungrateful. We worked on 2 other songs after that, but we still weren’t sure if we’d go ahead and make the EP until we recorded Eyes on You. At that point there was no going back. We had found THE SOUND.
49th Street: How has it been for you since the EP dropped?
Naya Akanji: The love and support has been overwhelming to be honest. Having people I’ve never met reach out to tell me they love my music has been mind bursting. I’m so grateful to everyone who loves my sound and supports the brand. Y’all have been inspiring me to work harder on giving you mad jams.
49th Street: Was there any song in Vivid Emotions, The EP, you had second thoughts about?
Naya Akanji: Nope. We took out the songs we weren’t sure of. We were very intentional with the songs we put on the project because we knew it would be our introduction into the industry. Had to do it right while remaining authentic.
49th Street: Impressive. What heights do you hope to attain in the industry?
Naya Akanji: The highest of the high. I didn’t come to Lagos to count bridge, lmfao. I want my sound to be recognized and appreciated both locally and internationally.
49th Street: You’re so hilarious, your humor is amazing. Of course, no sane person is in Lagos counting bridges. It’s a go-hard-or-go-home in Lasgidi. What impact do you intend to make in the music industry? Anything you’d like to fix up?
Naya Akanji: I’m just here to make good music, make money and have a good time. I’d definitely like to see more women producers in the industry but until I improve my production skills I can’t start up this conversation so imma just chill for now. Big shout out to all the girl producers in the industry right now.
49th Street: Shout out to girl-power. It’s definitely amazing to see. What other title popped into your head, before Vivid Emotions. And why did you finally settle for the title Vivid Emotions?
Naya Akanji: To be honest Vivid Emotions was the first idea that popped in my mind. The songs all revolve around one central emotion each and the title captured that perfectly.
49th Street: Tell us two truths and one lie about yourself.
Naya Akanji: I can do a cartwheel. I’ve never broken a bone. I’m a dog person.
49th Street: Interesting. We wonder which of those are true or false. You may be a dog person, you seem like you can do a cartwheel. It’s a daring activity and you give off daring vibes. So, you most probably have broken a bone or two. Well, you ‘broke a leg’ in the making of Vivid Emotions so that should count. Your music sounds emotional. Do you draw inspiration from a personal love Interest?
Naya Akanji: Nah, not really. I wouldn’t even describe myself as a particularly emotional person. My vocals just give everything I write a soft feel.