IT’S BEEN A LONG TIME COMING that I cover another Afrobeats artist. Not sure how, but I’ve managed to stray away from the genre that’s basically taken over my summer playlists. After starting off The Overlap with an article on my favorite up-and-coming artist the genre’s got to offer in Rema, ignoring Afrobeats entirely over the past 5 months is just criminal. So with that said, let me introduce Omah Lay, one of the quickest rising artists Nigeria has to offer.
He may already be 24, but Omah Lay only started releasing music in April 2019, with his self-produced single Do Not Disturb. Since his debut just over two years ago, Lay’s career has been nothing short of fantastic, topping nearly every damn chart Nigeria has to offer. Despite having only released two songs heading into 2020, Lay’s Bad Influence didn’t just get a few streams, it got all of them… the song was the most streamed Nigerian song on Apple Music in 2020. Pause. I need to type that out again. The 3rd fucking song Omah Lay ever released, was the most fucking streamed song of 20-fucking-20. What?! How does that even work?
“It’s ok though, dude must’ve just got lucky… right?” Aha ha! Nah, why would he dare slow down? After a ‘decent’ start to 2020, Lay released two 5-song EPs, Get Layed and What Have We Done. Out of those 10 songs, ALL tracks found themselves within the top 15 on Apple Music’s Nigerian charts, two of which (You and Godly) peaked at number 1. The rest of 2020 was pretty slow, with Lay settling for just a ‘Next Up’ win at The Headies 2020 (aka Nigeria’s Grammys).
One aspect that really stands out about Omah Lay’s music is his ability to make music that can appeal to fans across the globe. He’s obviously got lines throughout his music that only Nigerians will appreciate, either cause of slang or using a local language (I believe he’ll incorporate Hausa into his songs, but don’t quote me on that). With that said, much of his lyrics are simplified enough that most English speakers can understand the great majority. And to make up for the instances where they can’t, his already extremely polished flow floats over endless smooth beats, filling listeners' ears with intoxicating rhythms, impossible to break away from.
Especially in his “earlier” music, Omah Lay sticks to what he knows in his lyrics: women. From the highs (Damn) to the lows (Understand), Lay really hits the full spectrum of relationships. While more or less surface level, at least on one song or another in his catalog, there’ll be at least one or two relatable tracks for everyone.
Despite focusing mainly on women in his work, it’s cool that Omah Lay still finds time to care about his community. An active participant in the EndSARS movement, Lay speaks out against the violent Nigerian police unit in a number of his songs. While some lines in some songs are a good place to start, I’m excited to see how he builds off his work. Maybe becoming a full-fledged activist??
It’s been really impressive to watch the rise of Omah Lay so far. He may have less than 15 songs out, but he’s got no misses. Not every song has been a cold-blooded banger, but none has been anything less than real good. After wrapping up his freshman year on a high, it’ll be interesting to see how he follows it up. 2021 has been slow so far, but if his next releases are even half as good as Understand, well fuck it. He should take all the time he needs. As his next tracks start to drop, I’m gonna be waiting and watching for his career to really take off. And you should too, it won’t be one to miss.
PERSONAL FAVORITES: Lo Lo, Can’t Relate, Damn (ft. 6lack), Understand
IT MAY BE A LITTLE LATE, BUT THERE'S ALWAYS TIME TO GET INVOLVED. SEE BELOW TO LEARN ABOUT AND HELP THE NIGERIAN FIGHT AGAINST POLICE BRUTALITY
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