Obongjayar shares new track ‘Jellyfish’, Paradise Now LP out May 30
PRAISE FOR Obongjayar
“Some Nights I Dream Of Doors LP - Album of the Week”
“Some Nights I Dream Of Doors LP - Packet Album of the Week”
“Some Nights I Dream Of Doors LP - International Album of the Week”
“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”
OBONGJAYAR
Paradise Now LP
May 30 via September Recordings
PRE-ORDER / PRE-SAVE HERE
TRACKLIST
1. It’s Time
2. Life Ahead
3. Peace in Your Heart
4. Holy Mountain
5. Jellyfish
6. Talk Olympics (feat. Little Simz)
7. Prayer
8. Moon Eyes
9. Sweet Danger
10. Not in Surrender
11. Instant Animal
12. Strong Bone
13. Born in This Body
14. Just My Luck
15. Happy Head
‘Jellyfish‘ is out now, buy/stream it here.
Obongjayar returns to share his new single, ‘Jellyfish’, the latest offering from his forthcoming second album PARADISE NOW, which is set for release on May 30 via September Recordings. LISTEN HERE + PRE-SAVE LP HERE.
Made alongside Carlos O’Connell of Fontaines D.C. and Kwes Darko (Denzel Curry, Pa Salieu, John Glacier), ‘Jellyfish’ finds Obongjayar picking up the tempo on the ragged synth-punk diss track on which he dexterously fuses textures of his native Nigeria with a production reminiscent of drum and bass. He underscored how ‘Jellyfish’ is a medium for communicating the frustration he feels towards the government in a sit down interview with The Observer saying, “Seeing how governments move, people in power, corporations – [for] whatever monetary reasons you sell yourself” with writer Tara Joshi calling it “a scathing song about spineless British politicians.” The song follows the artist’s previously released singles ‘Sweet Danger‘, ‘Not in Surrender‘, and ‘Just My Luck‘, all of which provide a glimpse into the dynamic yet intentional storytelling listeners can expect from Obongjayar’s second studio album.
Produced between London and LA with Kwes Darko, Yeti Beats (Doja Cat) and Beach Noise (Kendrick Lamar, Baby Keem, Bakar), PARADISE NOW promises adventure while showcasing OB’s most intimate storytelling yet. He grapples with everything from self-acceptance and transcendence to grief and loneliness, FOMO, procrastination, and never-ending nights, all of which are set to candy-coated electro-pop synths and soaring strings, proving why he is one of the most thrilling voices to come out of the UK to date. Standing testament to Obongjayar’s skilled vocals, the album features no other artists other than his good friend and frequent collaborator Little Simz, with whom OB recently collaborated on her recent single ‘Flood‘.
Starting July 24th, Obongjayar will bring his acclaimed live show to the US, marking his first US performances ever outside of SXSW in 2023. He’ll perform 3 shows across the country, including an appearance at this year’s Newport Folk Festival, in addition to his headline dates. Following his shows in the US, OB will take this dynamic stage presence across the UK and EU starting November 14th for a string of shows in Berlin, Cologne, Brussels, Amsterdam, Paris, Bristol, Leeds, Manchester and London, before playing his largest London show to date at the O2 Kentish Town Forum. Tickets are available for purchase via obongjay.ar/live.
Last year, Obongjayar launched his intimate party series PARADISE NOW at Ormside Projects which since has seen guests and friends alike pass through to perform including Little Simz, Pa Salieu, Kwes Darko, James Messiah, Dean George, Peter Xan, Lava La Rue, Chi, Kwes, Bikoko, Fredwave, Jeshi and more. His next party will be in May, with more info to be announced soon.
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 in Nigeria, 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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