by Alonge Dominic.
The questions on the lips of many afrobeat enthusiasts for some weeks have been “Who is Lojay?” “Where did he come from?”. It is very rare for a newbie to arrive on the scene with the maturity and composure Lojay exhumed in his breakout single “Tonongo”. It is also very rare for one of the best producers in the history of afrobeats to take serious interest in your craft, releasing a joint EP with the breakout star.
Lekan Osifeso Jnr aka Lojay, is a 25-year-old artiste, songwriter, and producer, whose sound can be described as Afro-fusion. Lojay has always been a music aficionado, developing a strong love for the art from a very juvenile age. He kept developing his writing and singing skills as the years progressed. He began his professional career very early, releasing his first hit single “Ariel” in 2016, produced by Grammy-winning producer Telz. The trend that is worthy of note in his sound over the years has been his ability to curate a very soothing and calm vibe with his vocal prowess, blending distinctly with the beat to produce what I would coin as an “afro-sensual” feeling.
TONONGO –
Tonongo was the lead single off the project and can be described as the perfect start to his 5 track EP. The breakout hit single has the slow whine vibe that emphasizes the Afro-sensual ardor mentioned above. While we can all agree that “Sarz is not your mate” when illustrating the brilliance of the beat, any artiste Sarz is featuring should also put in the work to kill it off. Lojay did exactly this killing the track effortlessly. A top song in its entirety, and an absolute fan favorite.
PARK O X3 –
After listening to this song, the statement is clear from Lojay that his talent possesses undeniable range. He deviated a bit from the slower beat the first song had, and did justice to his verse and chorus, proving that he is ready to compete with the big boys when it comes to party bangers. The danceable tune finished off with tasty vocals, is only proof that Lojay wasn’t capping when he said his EP was hits on hits on hits.
LUV N ATTN (FT BIG WIZ) –
The feature alone is testimony enough. How many newbies can boast of a feature with not just any industry big boy, but international superstar Wizkid? What is even more amazing is the synchrony in melodies both artistes produced, almost like they had been singing together for years. It is one thing to commend Wizkid’s versatility in blending harmoniously on any sound he is on, but we shouldn’t fail to recognise the fact that this rising star went toe to toe with a Grammy winner, and wasn’t overshadowed. I’m definitely not the only one who wants another Lojay X BigWiz project.
PANTY! –
From the name, you should have gotten ready to update your hedonistic playlists. The soothing and polished vibe synonymous with the first song on the album is without any skepticism an attestation to the consistency and remarkable maturity of Lojay’s talent. Additionally, we shouldn’t get tired of constantly highlighting the vocal expertise Lojay serenaded us with throughout this EP, especially on this song.
MONALISA –
Social media reviews have dubbed this hit single to be the best on the album. Could it be the amapiano excellence expressed in the beat? The party starter energy present in the song from the start to the finish? Or the fact that you cannot listen to this song without moving a part of your body mandatorily? Whatever the reason is, we cannot deny the fact that the song is a smash hit, and would be on the playlist of every DJ throughout summer 2021. A truly amazing way to wind up what we can confidently say is one of the best EPs released this year.
Overall, it would not be an overstatement to conclude that LUV N ATTN has no single bad song, and we cannot help but expect exhilarating greatness from this new kid on the block. We hope to see amazing collaborations from Lojay with other newbies like Joeboy, Rema, and a host of other young Afrobeat trailblazers, taking afrobeats to the ends of the earth and back.
FINAL REVIEW
Sequencing – 1.6/2
Delivery/Execution – 1.7/2
Production – 1.8/2
Enjoyability – 1.6/2
Songwriting – 1.5/2
Total – 8.2/10
Standout Track – MONALISA.