Anyone who’s seen Obongjayar live knows that he’s an incredible performer. Born in Calabar, Nigeria and relocating to London as a teenager, the 32-year-old singer and musician has the stage presence of a natural-born talent, with energy pouring out of him. But, when I sat down to speak with him ahead of the release of his second LP Paradise Now, Obongjayar told me he’s actually always been quite shy.
“Because of my temperament growing up, when I started music, I knew that [performing] was something I’d have to learn to do,” he explains. “So, I Googled open mic nights and performed my songs a capella, just so I could get used to being in front of people. Then, I started busking and selling CDs to get petrol for my car. As I’ve grown, I’ve realised that it’s not that deep. As long as you believe in what you’re saying, there’s no fear.”
What does come naturally to Obongjayar, however, is songwriting. Throughout our conversation, the dynamic artist would frequently dive into extended metaphors comparing genres to cells in an organism, his music to a first-born child, or life to branches on a tree – reaching a frantic pace that was, honestly, quite hard to keep up with. “Sorry, a lot of people find this quite annoying,” he laughs. “Most people don’t understand what I’m saying.”
It’s reflective of someone with a lot of big ideas, and never quite enough tools to express them. It’s also the reason why his music is particularly hard to box in. Having produced the iconic hooks behind Little Simz’ Point and Kill, Wiki’s Elixir and Fred Again’s adore u, Obongjayar fuses the masterful rhythms of his Nigerian homeland with an upbringing consisting of acts as disparate as Jay-Z, Prince and Westlife. Paradise Now sees Obongjayar embrace softer subject matter, blending influences from afrobeat with an almost-folk-like delicateness.
As the album makes its way into the world, the artist answers 50 quickfire questions for AnOther.
1. What’s the first thing you did this morning? I had a piece of toffee cake from the Caribbean shop opposite my house.
2. Obong means ‘king’ in the Nigerian language of Ibibio. Is there another word you can teach us in Ibibio? Amesiere, which means ‘good morning’.
3. How are you feeling about the project coming up? I’m excited on one hand, but terrified on the other.
4. Is this nerves, or something more? I’ve lived with this record, put so much into it. It’s like letting your baby go to school, trusting each child to go out into the world and survive.
5. Have your family heard the record yet? I actually need to call my mum back – she hasn’t heard it just yet. Mum, if you’re reading this …
6. Why did you choose Paradise Now as the title? To me, the idea of paradise is just being free. It’s letting go of any idea of perfection and really realizing that [paradise is] right here, right now.
7. Where is your paradise? I’ve never really been a travel person. Paradise is more of a state of mind, man. You can find whatever you’re looking for right where you are.
8. There seems to be a softer, almost folk-y turn on this project. Where does that come from? I’ve got two different voices. The softer songs are a lot more reflective, me digging inside myself and trying to look for answers. I listen to quite a lot of singer-songwriters, Nigerian folk [and] slower alternative indie music, so influences stem from that.
9. Do you ever think about genre when you make music? No. [For me], it’s a mix, like cells coming together to form an organism.
10. What’s your favourite track on the project? Probably Prayer.
11. Where do you go to get inspired? Nowhere. I don’t believe in that. If you look hard enough, there’s something everywhere. Going to the countryside to write an album – I think that’s stupid, you’re forcing inspiration.
12. What’s your favourite sport to watch? Basketball.
13. What’s your favourite sport to play? Football or basketball.
14. What’s your earliest? Earliest memory? Doing Michael Jackson impressions in the living room for my grandma with my younger brother.
15. What’s Calabar like? It’s beautiful, man. When I was living there, it was one of the cleanest cities in Nigeria, really green, quite small. Everyone knows everyone.
16. If I visit Nigeria, what should I do? The food is something you should definitely spend your time exploring. Nigeria can be quite a chaotic place, but it’s also got its serenity. The spotlight is usually focused on the areas that are popping off but, there’s a lot to be discovered.
17. What were your first impressions of London when you came here? I didn’t care, man. I just thought, ‘Here we are’. [Laughs].
18. Has that changed? I love this place. People complain about the weather and how messed up everything is – which it is – but those things push you to make your own sunshine.
19. If you had kids, where would you raise them? Probably south London. I’m raising my kids in the city, for sure, because they need to know what’s going on on the ground.
20. What’s the best show you've ever been to? King Krule at Hammersmith Apollo.
When was the last time you cried and why? “Not too long ago, actually, I was in my living room, writing a song on my guitar about being in the moment” – Obongjayar
21. What’s the best show you've performed? I played a festival in Belgium and the thing that plays [the] track broke, so we had to rearrange the whole set and play raw dog. It was one of the most exhilarating things.
22. Where did you learn to be such a good performer? I was quite a shy kid growing up, but I knew that performance was something I would have to do. So, I Googled open mic nights and performed my songs a capella, just so I could get used to being in front of people. Then, I started busking and selling CDs to get petrol for my car. I’ve realised that as long as you believe in what you’re saying, there’s no fear.
23. Do you have a pre-show ritual? When I’m on tour, we listen to Death Grips just before we go on stage.
24. What about post-show? When I do my paradise parties post-show, I just get mash-up. I just have a dance in Ormside.
25. Dream collab? Dead or alive? Damn. I’d have to think. Let’s just go with drums – I’d like to have John Bonham or Ginger Baker on drums.
26. What’s your desert island disc? It’s so hard, man! I feel like I’d be letting the people in my head down if I pick one particular album.
27. Westlife or Jay-Z? Ah man! I grew up on Westlife, but Jay-Z is someone that I really respect, musically and lyrically. I listened to Westlife before I went to school, thinking of this one girl I was trying to chat to. So, emotionally in my heart, I gotta go Westlife.
28. Fela Kuti or Lil Wayne? Fela Kuti, hands down. Don’t get me wrong, I think Lil Wayne is one of the best rappers alive.
29. So, Westlife or Fela Kuti? Ah! Fela Kuti because I’ve got to support my Nigerian brothers! When I finally understood Fela Kuti, it made me realise that I can be authentically myself and do whatever the fuck I want.
30. Have I missed anyone? Not really. Prince and Bowie come to mind.
31. What’s the closest you’ve come to death? Bare times. When I was six years old, I fell down a two-storey building. Surprisingly, I didn’t die. I just broke a bunch of bones. Mashed myself up.
32. What’s the closest you've come to Heaven? Finishing a song.
33. Do you believe in love? Yes.
34. Do you believe in God? I believe in ‘I don’t know’. I’m just here, man. If there is a God, that’s great, but there’s no definite answer. We just are what we are.
35. If you could speak to your younger self, what advice would you give him? I would tell my younger self it’s not that deep. Don’t mythicise it.
36. You grew up listening to local Calabar radio station Rhythm 93.7 FM. What’s a banger you would hear played there and nowhere else? The song that changed my life was from that radio station. It was Asa’s Bibanke.
37. What’s a secret obsession that no one knows about you? I watch a lot of YouTube. That’s the PC answer. Left news YouTube channels, and also gossip stuff.
38. What channel should we check out? Midas Touch. It’s an American lefty news thing that [covers] what’s going on in America.
39. When was the last time you cried and why? Not too long ago, actually, I was in my living room, writing a song on my guitar about being in the moment and not realising how lucky you are to be here. But also not knowing what tomorrow may be.
40. How would you describe your music to someone who’s never heard it? Good.
What’s your comfort dish? “I used to have pizza when I was celebrating something or when I was down bad. That was my ride or die, got me through some dark times” – Obongjayar
41. What’s the favourite lyric you’ve written? I’ve got two that come to mind straight away. “Up like sun, down like sun, still sun”, and “Press your weight against the wind”.
42. What’s your favourite tattoo you have? I have some ants on my right arm. They’re my favourite creature.
43. Who is your earliest musical mentor? I wouldn’t say I’ve ever had a mentor. I hope he doesn’t see this, but my manager is probably that guy for me.
44. What drives you to work harder? Freshness, fresh the icon. I don’t want to be stale. I want to be someone that is constantly growing.
45. What’s the best praise you've ever received? I was on the phone to a friend of mine yesterday, and she said, ‘I like your face on my phone.’ I thought that was pretty beautiful.
46. You’ve got a unique sense of fashion. How would you describe your style? I just put on whatever I have in the house, man.
47. What’s your comfort dish? I used to have pizza when I was celebrating something or when I was down bad. That was my ride or die, got me through some dark times. Now, I get Jamaican food.
48. What’s your comfort TV show? I’m watching Severance right now. Comfort-wise, Rick and Morty or South Park, anything in that vein.
49. What’s your favourite book? Life on Mars by Tracy K Smith. It inspired my first record.
50. Finally, what are you doing after this? I’m going to go to my friend’s studio and do a fitting for some of his clothes that he’s making. Then I’m going on a date.
Paradise Now by Obongjayar is out now.
