10 Things We Love about BNXN

On the 9th of April, Nigerian musician BNXN posted a TikTok with the caption: “Album finished. See you soon.” There was no huge rollout, just a 30 second clip that turned into a public service announcement; and like that, summer had a soundtrack.

A BNXN release is accompanied by a certain feeling of inevitability. It’s a type of sound fed by his spirit, and gentle as it lifts you above your worries. His sound isn’t desperate in its chase for relevance, instead it creates a space. For all your joy, all your aches, and all the slow head-nod moments that remind you you’re still alive.

Photo by Lore Abidemi

If you’ve recently watched Sinners, you’ll already be familiar with the concept of sound that carries an emotional texture rich enough to make ordinary moments feel cinematic. That’s similar to what the latter half of Captain feels like. It’s not formulaic, and it’s definitely not generated; it’s alive, and it’s made a home in a voice we’ve come to know and trust.

Culture is known to clap the loudest for whatever is the loudest, and we rarely pause long enough to celebrate real consistency. The artists we know we can count on; the ones whose work becomes part of the background until it’s exactly what you needed. It’s easy to underestimate these artists, perhaps because they make it look effortless. But if you’ve ever been healed, moved, or caught mid-heartbreak with a BNXN verse in your head, then you already know that the work is well worth the applause.

New Wave sat down with BNXN to talk about his new album Captain, legacy building, life in the public eye, and the plan B that never stood a chance.

Here are ten things we love about BNXN and ten glimpses into the man behind the melodies. 

We love that this album doesn’t feel like a debut, but it does feel like a beginning.

Each track feels like it peels back another layer, with the last few songs being the most vulnerable. Who is the BNXN we’re meeting in this era? Is this a version of yourself you’re growing into or one you’ve just met?

A version of myself I’ve grown into. I used to call myself a student of the game, right? I’ve taken time to master a ton of things: [various] styles, [different] types of music, how [others] do their thing… Now I’m like a master in what I’m doing. My friends used to call me captain, based off the strength of what I was doing, who was following me. What’s next? What’s the plan? It was a position I had to sit in. Take responsibility.

We love the spiritual backbone.

The final track, “In Jesus Name,” is a beautiful conclusion. Its title mirrors the way many prayers are concluded. Was this album a kind of prayer for you? Do you feel like its release is a manifestation of prayers answered?

It’s more like I believe in a lot of spiritually inclined things. Most of my projects, I end them with a seal of spirituality. On Bad Since ’97, I had ‘Modupe’, that was me saying thank you for the turnaround in my life. On Sincerely, Benson, it was ‘Final Answer.’ This one, ‘In Jesus Name’, is me saying, yes, there will be trouble, there’ll be missteps, but there will be no sign of failure. Mainly because I pray in Jesus’ name. That alone means I can’t fail. That’s my seal on the project.

We love the last minute Seyi Vibez addition.

The Seyi Vibez agenda is as strong as ever, and we aren’t mad about it at all. It was a lovely surprise to see him on the album. What was the process of creating “Set Up”, and working with Seyi Vibez, like? Did you know exactly what you wanted it to sound like, or did the pieces fall into place one by one?

Making ‘Set Up’ with Loseyi was super easy. It might be one of the easiest recordings I’ve done in a minute. I was looking for the final piece for the album, and I was listening to my verse and thinking about who would be perfect on it. It stayed on my mind all day. I was out with my friends and ‘Pressure’ came on. I was like, “let me hit up Seyi up to see if he’d be down to jump on this track,” and he was. He sent me his verse the next day and that’s literally how we made ‘Set Up’.

We love the sonic mentorship in “Very Soon.” 

“Very Soon” with upcoming artist FOLA has already gone platinum in our households. But the track we hear today came from a place of real mentorship. Tell us more about how the track came together. 

FOLA is amazing, but the original version of that song? Nah. I told him, this can’t go out like this. He’d taken it left. I told him to keep the hook and bridge, and I’d handle the rest. And he listened. He didn’t argue. We got in the studio and just made it work. That’s when you know someone wants to learn. No ego. He just said, ‘Do it how you want to.’ And we made it better.

We love that “Phenomena” just feels good.

It’s like slow sweetness and summer. Frozen strawberry daiquiris at bottomless brunch, or like spending the day with your favourite person. Where do you imagine yourself when you listen to it?

“On top of the world. That’s 2024 energy. It was one of my best years. I wasn’t even planning to drop new music, but I heard that beat and was like, ‘Yeah, I need this.’ It’s just a reminder to chill, be happy. Phenomena is about being present. It’s me reassuring my fans: when I’m coming, I’m coming. Don’t get too confused. Don’t be so crazy with it. I’m fine. You should know.

We love Cutesy’s sensuality.

We think of the lead single as setting the mood before the listener even gets to step inside, and Captain’s lead single isn’t traditional BNXN, it’s sexy, flirtatious, and built for that late night playlist. By choosing that track to lead, what are you trying to tell us about the world you’re inviting us into with this album?

I just didn’t want to be boxed. I was coming off Gwagwalada, Pray, all those bops. But I was listening to sexy drill and thought, this is the vibe. That’s how Cutesy came to life. It’s my own version of sexy drill, but I’m doing it my way. Still flirty, still smooth, but not vulgar.

We love that collaboration is part of the BNXN legacy.

‘Cough Syrup’ is your first collaboration with Victony, and it’s something we didn’t even know we needed.  We love how you consistently support and collaborate with others in your space, even when others try to sow seeds of comparison and division. You even tweeted your support for his album last year. Why is that spirit of collaboration so important to you?

It’s the best way to move the sound forward. It’s like a relay race. The person before you might start slow, but your job is to pick up speed and make sure the next person can fly. It’s not just about growing fanbases. It grows the culture. That’s how we keep it going.

We love how deeply you understand the genre you’re helping to build.

Your sound is often labelled as Afrofusion, which we love, because it defies dismissive tendencies to box African artists into neat and narrow categories. Do you see Afrofusion as a genre, or is it more of a philosophy, an openness to creating without borders?

It’s both. It’s a genre, but it’s also a state of mind. You have to be ready to explore. Burna Boy’s L.I.F.E album? Those beats weren’t regular. They sounded like they should be for 50 Cent, but he’s singing in patois on them. It’s poetry. Even if it’s cryptic. ‘Thunder tears the sky’. It doesn’t have to make sense. But it feels like something.

We love that you’ve made peace with being perceived.

It’s not easy being in the public eye, especially when things get messy. How do you deal with all the noise?

I used to feel like I had to respond. Like I couldn’t let people say just anything. But I realised, it’s all just statistics on the internet. Zeros and ones. If I can’t talk to you one-on-one, there’s no point. Growth is necessary. If it’s not important, I won’t respond to it.

We love the commitment to the “Captain” brand.

You call yourself ‘Captain,’ and there’s a track dedicated to it. It feels like a declaration of leadership. What does that imagery mean to you? Is it about taking control, your vision for your life, or is it even deeper than that?

2017, December 31st… I was in church. I’d spent the year writing music for people, vibing in the studio. And I just told God: ‘If this is really what you want me to do with my life, make it easy. If not, stop it now.’ And I feel like that prayer has worked. It’s why music isn’t Plan B. It’s Plan A and there’s no Plan B. 

That’s what this means to me. This isn’t a phase. It’s not just a stage. I want to own the Captain brand for what it is. We’re in the global years now. I’ve made something for myself here, and now it’s like I’m kicking the global door. And the moment I get that break? I’m running.

Captain is gorgeous and with this release, we see BNXN step into full command. It isn’t just about proving he has what it takes to be a leader, the music itself feels like a type of alignment. It’s sonic and spiritual; full of promise but never rushed. The texture, the emotional lucidity; here we celebrate an artist with an intrinsic ability to soundtrack joy, yearning, and growth so seamlessly into one cohesive sound. We’re in awe of such a beautiful reminder that vulnerability can also look like being brave enough to evolve out loud.  

Captain Out Now.