Oxlade 在尼日利亞拉各斯海岸呼吸音樂
俯瞰尼日利亞拉各斯風景如畫的海洋背景，Afrobeats 音樂家 Oxlade 在他最具代表性的元素中採取了一種強大但有點脆弱的立場，即水。與 Oxlade 的亮粉色、醒目印花和超大剪裁牛仔布並置，最後是他眾多紋身和大雪珍珠項鍊的前衛特寫，證明了他目前為自己建立的生活。性格開朗，性格古怪，性格平靜，神秘。
他以 Ikuforiji Abdulrahman Olaitan 的身份出生，是他將自己的創造力或現實生活經驗注入的每一個項目的見證，他的觀眾對此讚歎不已。他發行了許多肯定會出現在您或您鄰居的播放列表中的單曲，包括“AWAY”、“DKT”，以及最近電台最受歡迎的 Dolapo 的“Interest”，其中包括班克斯女士和他本人。
Words by Shenead Poroosotum
Creative Direction: Derrick Odafi
Photographer Jack Chipper
Lighting Barney Arthur
Art Director Annie Alvin
Stylist Chanel Baker
MUA Zoe Lee
Production Assistants Ayo Ahmed, Olawale Lipede
New Wave: Around when was it that you started creating music?
Nonso Amadi: I started making music while I was in high school and friend of mine brought his laptop to school illegally [laughs] I mean like we weren’t meant to, but he brought his laptop, and he introduced me to the possibility of recording on a software on a laptop. And it was just so cool because before that, I had been freestyling at home and just making music with my family and my friends. That was the first time I actually recorded my voice and heard it back. So, just doing that and then playing it for the girls in school, I'd see the reaction was just so excited. That was like the first exposure for me.
NW: Did recording back then and making music come have any challenges along the way apart from obviously learning a whole new skill?
NA: Making music, obviously, while you're in school itself is pretty problematic. Because it takes your attention away from what you're meant to be doing, which is studying your books. And I won’t lie, because I was so infatuated with the idea of creating music myself, I spent a lot of time doing it. And it kind of affected my grades initially. So, I had to learn how to balance music and medication at the same time. But that was the main challenge because my parents would say “Wait, what's happening here? Why is he suddenly dropping in his schoolwork?” That was the main challenge for me.
NW: With your single ‘Lock Up’ up with Zinoleesky, how did the connection between you two come around, spurring you to collaborate?
NA: I actually met his manager first. I managed to play a bunch of songs along with a producer that she works with and after I played ‘Lock Up’ she was like “Yo, Zino would love this record!”. Next thing you know I get a video call with Zino vibing to a verse and that’s how we got connected. I’ve always really liked his style; it’s so raw and authentic. I think he works perfectly with the song that we were trying to create because it’s a drum heavy song which is far from what I usually do. So, it was just the right person for it.
NW: So, your album, When It Blooms coming on 26th of May. You've got a very nice floral, naturistic theme around it as well. What's the significance with flowers alongside the whole identity of the album?
NA: With When It Blooms, I spent a lot of time thinking about the project name because I wanted to be super reflective of my own musical journey. When I first started making music, I was super shy and insecure. So, I just compared that to a seed that has to grow and after going into the ground it breaks apart and germinates. And then towards the end of its life process, it's a flower and it opens up. Its bloomed petals are beautiful to look at. I think it's a similar situation with me that I've learned to accept and be thankful for. And it is a journey, there's a lot of things that you go through along the way. But When It Blooms is just like, given the list and the anticipation that something is about to happen to this guy, you know, from the start of the album to the end, there is a narrative. I feel like people, when they listen to it, will get the symbols that I was trying to play around with.
NW: That’s really lovely. You’ve actually been creating music for quite a while now as well. How does it feel to finally start getting this recognition? Considering that you've been on the scene for a couple of years.
NA: It’s amazing! But I’m very careful with how I receive attention just because I’ve seen how when it comes to musicians, it’s very easy to get in our heads. We’re already very much in our heads a lot so, instead of just sitting on that idea of “I deserve it” or whatever, I’m just more thankful for it and looking forward to actually growing more. But keeping a level head is where I’m at. I’m constantly reminding myself like bro, you have a lot more work to do and you have to just keep going. And when the love comes, I just say thank you and I keep it fresh.
我只是相信自己，相信上帝以及他幫助我善用我的天賦的能力。
NW: Yes, staying humble is key! I also heard that you recorded in so many different locations during the creation of When It Blooms. How did this inspire the album? And did you pick up anything along the way?
NA: Yeah, I’ve recorded in a lot of different places. I recorded in Lagos, London, a lot of songs in London, Kingston in Jamaica… Just different parts of the world. And I think it’s reflective in the music I listened to growing up like reggae, dancehall and R&B. The project itself has a lot of flavours and those styles embedded into what I’m trying to achieve, but not in the way that that it feels all over the place. I just wanted to make sure that people could tell that I’m a diverse artist. And as much as I love R&B and afrobeats, I’m still able to make a hip-hop track. It was just part of the process for it, and it wasn’t intentional it was just what happened along the way and we just happened to get into that sort of music.
NW: How do you feel about the Nigerian music scene right now and the reception that it receives in the UK?
NA: Honestly, I feel like it’s been a long time in the making. There have been a lot of amazing artists that have come before to open the doors, shout out to D’Banj, 2face Idibia (2Baba), Tiwa Savage, Wizkid… the usual suspects. It’s been a lot of work and I was watching a documentary the other day and it shows how afrobeats crossed over to the other side of the world and how the community grew over time. I think the love is very clear and for a lot of Nigerian artists, we see this as a rite of passage. Once you’re good in Nigeria, you come to the UK, then you can go to the States. It’s beautiful to see that we have such a welcoming audience over here.
我只是相信自己，相信上帝以及他幫助我善用我的天賦的能力。
NW: That’s lovely, and we’re happy to have you! Considering that with afrobeats and its popularity in the UK, how do you think you stand out amongst the crowd of all the other afrobeat artists?
NA: I think I’m very much about creating a name for myself. And I don’t just pick from African music and my influences. Earlier when I about how I recorded music in different parts in the world and we incorporated those sounds into the album, it’s quite a unique thing to find in this genre. A big part for me is just storytelling because I like to be as vulnerable as possible… and this album is very vulnerable. And I’m feeling pretty nervous to put it out there because it speaks on my journey. There’s spoken word from my mum on there and these are things you can easily find in the afrobeat space but I take a lot of inspiration from Kendrick Lamar and Drake and they make very honest and vulnerable projects. So, I wanted to see how I could put that into my own work. And I feel like a lot of people appreciate that uniqueness and it’s just like a breath of fresh air. When you’re done listening to a lot of hype stuff, you can listen to something that’s still familiar but a bit easier to connect with.
NW: So, what’s next for Nonso Amadi?
NA: The project is out on the 26th of May and we’re hoping to do as much touring as possible. In the UK, Europe, America and of course in Africa and Canada, everywhere we can attach. But basically the point is to bring life to a lot of the themes of the album as well as the honesty of the project; we want to bring that to life as well as the arc. For the show, the beginning will dark and insecure but towards the end it’ll be a beautiful close and with the theme of flowers. I just want to bring life to everything we see and create a cinematic experience to everyone who comes out. So, I’m going to put in a lot of work and I’m super excited.
