Get To Know - AYLØ

Nigeria’s rising alt-rnb star AYLØ is making waves in and outside the continent. His tunes are hitting close to 200k monthly plays on Spotify and his biggest track ‘’wys’’ - featuring another alte acolyte - Santi, is at more than two million plays on Spotify. His debut mixtape ‘’Insert Project Name’’ in 2017 was a mesh of styles - lo-fi, boom bap, with inspired hits of Flamenco… It was evident then that AYLØ did not want to be known as one of many - he wanted a style and approach, that was unique to him. He’s since doubled down on the promise that was evident from his first drop, with follow-up project ‘’dnt’dlt’’ revealing more of Aylø’s creative map, with all the progress leading up to the release of his first, official full-length LP ‘’For Good Reasons’’.

On the day of the release, I spoke to AYLØ over Zoom off the back of a festival performance in Nairobi. Bang in the middle of the UK’s festival season, a place that Aylø has called home on and off for the last decade, it’s curious that Nairobi, not London, would be the base for his summer festival schedule, given his steady ascent within the UK scene. His recent collaboration ‘’Deeper’’ with North London-based rapper/producer JD Cliffe is an atmospheric, bouncy Afro-R’n’B joint that had listeners keen to see where their collaborations could go next. But behind Aylø’s slicker-than-your-average crooning and the general late night drive vibes that permeate his sound, Aylø is bullish in his creative purpose. Surprisingly so, in fact.

After some technical issues, we dived straight into the nitty-gritty surrounding AYLØ’s new drop. I wanted to know where the music was coming from. ‘’For me… I’d say this project was about surviving Lagos! (laughs). Because Lagos is crazy’’. AYLØ said, with conviction. And he isn’t wrong. Nigeria is in a genuine state of emergency right now, with a number of political, economic and civil issues conflating at one time to create a very difficult situation on the ground. ‘’On my last two releases, I made a place outside of the world that was mine. It’s like I was running away from my reality…’’. So with that said, the sprawling soundscape of Insert Project Name now makes sense. Many artists eventually reach a point, later in their careers, where they don’t want to say things as such, but they want to make their most creative, irreverent art - take Yeezus or even recently, Drake’s Honestly, Nevermind for example. But AYLØ approached his music initially from a place of escapism that morphed into purpose. ‘’I started making music in college and university in the UK. But I’m not from there. My passport is straight green-white-green!’’ AYLØ exclaimed. It’s said with a defiant pride, and I sensed a story lingering beneath that particularly sharp delivery. But that’s a tale for another time. ‘’I was in the UK for like seven years… As a young up-and-comer so much of my identity is wrapped up in England. So when I had to come back to Lagos, I kind of lost some of that connection. It felt like something special that was no longer there…’’ This is the catch 22 for the diaspora. You leave one place for a little while, and it feels like something is missing. You develop an ownership of your environment, a cultural shorthand that’s only relevant in that specific place. It comes as no surprise that Aylø’s move back to Nigeria was initially tinged with some feelings of melancholy. Especially after spending some important years in the UK. Once you’ve become comfortable with the ease with the creative expression, or not having to explain why you’re doing this or that, coming back home to a more conservative culture may feel like a loss of momentum. But despite the challenges, AYLØ persevered for his vision ‘’I came back and I was still going to do me. Still make music that’s rhythmic and soulful but it’s impossible to think I can still make the same music I was making in 2017 when I was living in London in 2022 living in Lagos. I’ve changed. The mission changed too’’. For AYLØ, who’s very affable, he carries a glass half-full mentality. That there’s always an opportunity despite the circumstances. This is a trait inherent to all Nigerians. ‘’See this new album was me accepting where I was at in my life. That everything I’ve done leads up to this point. And everything happens for good reasons’’.

This is where the albums title comes from. Life will always have it’s difficulties. But once you’re past them, you’ll see the lessons and grow better from them. The albums opener ‘’Tekkers’’ is a svelte, sultry groove. He opens with ‘’please don’t regret this…’’ Maybe speaking to himself in the mirror, before making a risky move. He sings about temptresses, yearning for a feeling that you’ll only find in dark rooms with blue hues. It’s a clever way to open up his albums aperture. The opening track runs at a brisk 2 minutes and 21 seconds (as does the whole album, only two songs clock in over 3 minutes). ‘’Tekkers’’ gives you just enough and makes you want to find out where that risky move may have led him. The art matches the artist. Aylø openly offered sprawling, funny, contextual responses, but he saves all the details for his music. Which luckily, does not disappoint. For Good Reasons can be found on all major streaming platforms now.

Listen to Good Reasons Here

Words by Damola Oladapo