Obongjayar returns with vibrant and hedonistic new single ‘Not In Surrender’
PRAISE FOR Obongjayar
“A master at work”
“A life-affirming record”
“Delicately fuses futuristic hip-hop and electronic influences with musical elements from his Nigerian upbringing”
“The London multi-hyphenate is building a unique creative cosmology, charting out a fresh universe one song at a time. His debut album is set to be a bona fide cultural event”
“Among the most engaging voices of his generation”
“Nowadays, “genre-bending” is how you describe an artist when you don’t have anything concrete to say about them, and Obongjayar has long since moved past that empty contemporary cliché. On Some Nights, he isn’t concerned with taking existing musical archetypes and bending them slightly, he’s building something new entirely”
“A cohesive statement that weaves the personal and the political, drawing on both his childhood in Nigeria's Cross River State and a young adulthood spent nurtured and embraced by London's thriving indie/jazz diaspora. Given the rare opportunity to shape himself into someone singular, Obongjayar chose to take it”
“There is a unique spirit threaded through the music of Obongjayar. One need only listen to the opening few tracks of his 2022 record, Some Nights I Dream of Doors, to get the vibe that this is an artist who knows his vision from the ground up. Importantly, it is a vision that requires him to walk to the beat of his own drum.”
“A passage of emotions and feelings that embody the sporadic and probing nature he suggests governs his music... Obongjayar is no stranger to existing in a cross-section of culture, exploring the themes of chasing fulfilment and wondering where he may fit in”
“Make no mistake, you know Obongjayar when you hear him”
‘Not In Surrender‘ is out now via September Recordings,
buy/stream it here.
Today Obongjayar returns with his brand new single, ‘Not In Surrender’. LISTEN HERE + WATCH HERE.
‘Not In Surrender’ is Obongjayar burning the candle at both ends, reflecting on those hedonistic nights that we never want to end. Conjuring a Prince-like transcendence as it builds and soars, all breathless adlibs and syncopated percussion, the buoyant and jubilant new single follows on from the release of the infectiously danceable and dreamlike pop creation ‘Just My Luck‘, a release which saw local support across press and radio alike, from triple j, Double J, ABC’s RAGE, fbi.radio, 3RRR, RTR FM, 10 Magazine and more.
Watch: Obongjayar – ‘Not In Surrender’ (Lyric Video)
Together, these tracks are indicative of the artistic evolution, expansion, and development of the unmistakable Obongjayar sound, hinting at what is to come from his next project. Speaking on the single, Obongjayar shares: “It’s basically about partying and staying up all night. You’re just feeling yourself!”
Last Summer, Obongjayar launched his intimate party series PARADISE NOW at London’s Ormside Projects which saw guests and friends alike including Little Simz, Pa Salieu, Kwes Darko, James Messiah, Dean George, Peter Xan, Lava La Rue, Chi, Kwes and more take the stage.
Born in Lagos and raised in Calabar, Nigeria, before moving to the UK when he was 18 years old, while growing up, Obongjayar found an escape in music. Growing up, Obongjayar gravitated towards American hip-hop and R&B – Eminem, Ciara, Nelly, Snoop Dogg, and his prized possession, a bootleg Nelly and Usher compilation. It wasn’t until moving to London in his late teens that he really began to appreciate Nigeria’s musical heritage. First releasing his own music through Soundcloud, what quickly followed was a string of hugely successful EPs and singles including “God’s Own Children” which earned him an Ivor Novello award. In 2022 he released his debut album Some Nights I Dream of Doors to critical acclaim with praise from the likes of i-D, Crack Magazine, The Guardian, NPR, DIY and more. With a truly unique sound blending everything from electronic, soul, pop, afro-beat and more, his compelling music characterised by his thoughtful and emotional lyrics have led him to collaborate with everyone from Jeshi to Little Simz to Pa Salieu, and most recently Fred Again… on ‘adore u’, that found the producer sampling Obongjayar’s “I Wish It Was Me” and garnering over 225 million streams globally.
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