Oxlade Discusses His Motivations, Culture and Social Media [Interview]

Words by Ayis Stephen-Diver

One of the many things the West African giant is known for is its music. Whether it be some of the biggest popstars and rappers citing Fela Kuti as an influence, playing 2000s Afrobeats at a wedding or being the song behind a viral dance trend, the country’s music industry is both saturated and spectacular. In the past few years Afrobeats has spurned from being a relatively country-contained art form to entering the global ‘mainstream’ current. One such Nigerian artist who, through unwavering work ethic, a distinctive sound and an almost prodigious talent has obtained their golden ticket into stardom is Oxlade.

Raised primarily by his grandmother from a young age and skating off the area of Surulere in Lagos, Oxlade took a turn from his traditional future of academia and found his footing in art. He began his career of creating soulful, desire-contoured afro-pop ballads in 2018, releasing a steady stream of singles while making a name for himself among the city’s artistic underbelly. Around that time, Nigeria was stuffed like a turkey with all variations of music; deep bass hard-knockers perfect for late night warehouse jives and alternative hip-hop laced with the country’s prideful swag, but a vacant spot existed in the scene, which eventually Oxlade would find himself fitting right into.

See Ojuju, Want You and Hold On as examples of Oxlade’s signature sound; slow jams centered around the classic West-African percussion rhythms that Fela played around with in the 70s, swirled with upbeat ad-libs and glittery R&B melodies. Among the electric dance music and rap, his gift of the unhurried love ballad was appreciated, his success both within the country and worldwide is a testament to this. Unchained creativity and motivation is what got Oxlade praise from Rolling Stone and a co-sign from Drake – he's a young man curiously exploring the semantics of music.

His previous singles already had a certain colour that allowed them to stay distinctive, but in recent months Oxlade took over the world with his COLORSxSTUDIOS entry Ku Lo Sa. It set him on the path to timelessness in the form of internet virality; the hashtag #kulosa boasts hundreds of millions of TikTok views. From covers of the song to playful mimicry of his physical movements, it may be one of the best examples we have now of the influence of social media on music. But to credit all of Oxlade’s success to one song is a massive disservice, after all, without the talent or drive, external tools can only get you so far.

First up I wanna ask you, how are you today?

I’m fine, I just had a show yesterday so i’m still recovering, but i’m feeling pretty cool.

Right now you’re in London, which has a massive music and creative scene. How have you found the city so far? Any new inspiration?

I feel loved, I really feel the vibrations. I see more reasons why I should spread my music further, to not only the UK but all of Europe.

This New Wave edition’s theme is Resilience. Have you ever struggled with any creative setbacks? If so, how did you overcome them?

I come from this place called Nigeria where creatives come across obstacles pushing them back daily. The government isn’t as supportive as it should be, but this same country generates most of the Afrobeats superstars we have right now. Bad roads, bad government, bad economy, and yet we still have Grammy award-winning artists. I’m strong-willed. Resilience is in Nigerian DNA.

How were you managing your time creatively and mentally during COVID?

I’ve been doing this music thing since way back, like 2017/2018, but 2020 was when I dropped my EP OXYGENE, and it was meant to be my breakthrough year. Sadly I coincidentally dropped it the week lockdown started. I felt cursed, devastated, angry, I even asked my grandma “Is God angry at me? Did I sin? Did I do anything wrong?” My grandma replied “you shall drive even in chaos” and I held onto that statement. It’s a show of the resilience within my family.

Against all odds, my project blew up even during the pandemic. I saw my song Away doing bits, Drake posted it, and I realised it was all meant to work out in the end. What’s meant to be will overcome those obstacles, always.

How has your Yoruba identity translated into your music?

I’m Yoruba by blood, by culture, by attitude, by personality and by confidence. We’re very confident people, and I think you can tell through my music.

Nigerian music has gone so global that many consider Afrobeats a part of mainstream music now. How has this boom in popularity affected you?

It’s made it easier for me. The OGs made the impossible possible, they’ve opened so many doors for the newer artists, in fact there is no such thing as “impossible” at this point. I’m talking Burna Boy, Wizkid, Davido, they’ve put so much into this that it’s like a movement now. They broke the boundaries and gave us so much more confidence, their success is massive. In fact it’s not even just Nigerians killing it right now, every African creative has made an impact and made Afrobeats what it is right now.

Following up from that, what are the characteristics of Afrobeats, Afropop etc. that you think will allow them to stand the test of time?

To me, there’s no genre that sounds like Afrobeats. The soul, the melodies, the percussns, nothing on this earth can replicate it. There are also so many different varieties and sounds that branch off it. It’s so unique and there are no boundaries. It even breaks language barriers; so many people around the world listen to Afrobeats having no idea what the artists are saying, but it’s the rhythm and the bounce that let it prosper.

Nigeria has a really saturated music scene, with so many trying to follow in the footsteps of the superstars that paved the way. When you were finding your footing in the industry, what kept you motivated?

I come from poverty, and I don’t wanna go back there. Also, music is the only thing that makes me feel like myself. Music is what I was born to do. I’ve tried so many different professions and career paths, I come from the streets so I had to find different ways to hustle and eat, but music is my calling. I was part of the church choir growing up, it’s always been in my DNA, so I decided to go professional with it.

That being said, is there any advice you’d offer to any young, budding Nigerian artists right now?

Just do it. Don’t listen to anybody. Be your biggest fan and be your biggest critic. Look at the work of your inspirations and pick elements of theirs that will strengthen your weaknesses, but don’t copy.

About the elephant in the room, Ku Lo Sa. It’s easily become one of the biggest and most recognizable songs of the year, particularly on social media. What are your thoughts on TikTok’s influence on the music industry?

TikTok is a promotional warehouse that creatives need to tap into. You don’t even need to do too much. I understand that labels and artists like having a structure with their marketing and rollouts, but TikTok shows your human side to your fans. It’s like a gateway, a bridge connecting artists to their supporters. It’s a huge platform now, literally everyone’s on it, so there’s no reason to not create content if you want to build your brand. Just do it and be consistent. I think TikTok helped me massively, and i’m open to working with more platforms, like CEEK, to spread the art.

Do you feel like without TikTok it would be harder for non-Western artists to go global?

African artists have been global since before TikTok, but TikTok amplified that fame and made it easier for the next generation to emulate that success. I wouldn’t say it’s a priority to use TikTok for your music, but it’s an amazing amplification tool. That being said, if you don’t have the juice, the app can’t amplify you the way you want. The more quality your art, the better promotion and exposure social media will provide.

You’re probably drowning in questions about your highly anticipated debut album, so has this pressure changed your work rate?

I’ve never felt under pressure when it comes to my music. I feel like the moment pressure becomes a factor, the art begins to crack. I do this day-by-day, I live in the present. If I ever let pressure get to me, you’d be able to tell in the music.

Where did you see yourself being at this moment, 5 years ago?

Not here, that’s for sure. I left the plan to God and kept my workrate up, and that’s how I’ve managed to get here.

Check out Oxlade's virtual concert on CEEK here.