As someone who draws a lot of hope, faith, and inspiration from his own life, he owes where he is in his career primarily to the passion and love he has for the music he makes. Belting out solid verses and hooks with a powerful voice you can only find a few times in a generation, he sees that you enjoy every single one of his projects. With a solid sophomore EP, Roadman has reached 100,000 listens and is gaining more by the minute. In this interview, we talk about how his professional music career has been going, his unique voice, him solidly connecting with his Yoruba roots in his new project, and so much more.
49th Street: Who is Roadman, and what does the name connote?
Roadman: I’ve moved around a lot, and occupied very diverse and unique spaces, so that’s where the name comes from. Roadman is a traveler and a citizen of the world.
49th Street: How has the journey from your very first single to your sophomore EP been?
Roadman: I’m grateful for this journey, it has been full of self-discovery, getting to know and love myself more. And also just embracing the beauty in music, how it inspires people and touches their lives as it has touched my own. I’m very grateful to have found something I love this much.
49th Street: Who/what is your inspiration?
Roadman: My life is my inspiration, and the lives of the people around me, and also some people who I never knew. Like Bob Marley, whose poster I keep above my bed.
49th Street: Who were your earliest musical influences?
Roadman: Ahh Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey! King Sunny Ade, Sean Paul, Bob Marley, and also my childhood church choir.
49th Street: Your kind of music seems like the kind people naturally gravitate towards, but your voice is superbly unique. Do you think you might have a problem getting people to listen to your music?
Roadman: Because my style is so unique, I know the people who will vibe with it will gravitate towards it. I can only be me and that’s all I can be.
49th Street: We hear elements of Nigeria’s Yoruba language in some of your tracks, did you intentionally want to get in touch with your roots for the EP or it was just coincidental?
Roadman: Yoruba is my first language and it is such a beautiful and expressive language. I include Yoruba in my music because it is part of who I am.
49th Street: It’s your sophomore EP and you hit 100,000 streams after a month, how does that make you feel?
Roadman: I’m very happy and grateful, it’s unbelievable and it can only grow. We keep moving.
49th Street: Who is your support system, and what words do you have for them?
Roadman: To my family and friends, I love you.
49th Street: Should we be expecting a video for one of the tracks soon?
Roadman: A video for OTR is in the works and I’m very excited about it, it’s gonna be mad. You never gon believe it.
49th Street: Do you have any words for your fans?
Roadman: Thank you very much because I make the music I want to make, and since you fuck with it, you genuinely fuck with me, so thank you for listening and for being yourself.
49th Street: Should we expect any collaboration with home or abroad talent soon? What is next for Roadman?
Roadman: More music, more vibes, and more collabs are in the pipes. Stay tuned 🙂