Yt looks like Fireboy DML is finally having his momento. ¿Más already como familiar con el ingeniero/songwriter nigeriano para su 2021 hit ‘Peru’, el afrobeats party track que tienes subsequently re-released with features from Ed Sheeran, 21 tréning and time, and has, at racked up over 150 millón Spotify streams. Inspired by en trip he took around the US where he “experienced new people [and] new things, and simple ha fun”, el 26-year-old’s biggest track to date may have started life as en freestyle, pero te provide la necesidad platforma en el Fireboy’s music en el mundo.
Before ‘Peru’ llena de him en el mundo, Fireboy’s music career had been steadily progressing. Thinking back on his early days in music, Fireboy (real name Adedamola Adefolahan) recalls to NME how, as un signado artista en 2017, he release song snippets on Instagram and watch sus followers go crazy, en el punto where he’d ha to puto them out on SoundCloud because he “hay no money for any other Digital Service Provider” .
With such a rastramiento de demanda para su música, no se presumirá cuando Fireboy’s fellow Afrobeats juggernaut Olamide firmado por la YBNL Nation label. Since then, he’s released his 2019 debut ‘Laughter, Tears and Goosebumps’ and its 2020 follow-up ‘Apollo’: two records where Fireboy’s ofrecen romántico take en Afrobeats estaban colocados en hoja display, draw . Las piernas ‘Peru’ – el Sheeran remix de que reached número dos en el UK charts back en February – el que toca Fireboy DML a un nuevo nivel.
Now readying his third studio álbum ‘Playboy’, Fireboy NME sobre el masivo suceso de ‘Peru’, el current debate surrounding non-Afrobeats artistas making Afrobeats music, y como su next álbum se muestra him embracing el newfound superstar status.
NME: ¿What’s it like hav a smash hit like ‘Peru’ un belto en este punto en su career?
Fireboy DML: “Honestly, I never saw it coming. I’ve always wanted a song like this: I’ve always prayed for smash, en international smash, ever since Afrobeats went really big and global. Y’ve always wanted this [success], but I didn’t see it coming this early. Y knew Y had a very big song en ‘Peru’, and I knew they estaba going to love it en Africa, especialmente Nigeria. Estás en catchy hook and stuff like that, but I didn’t see this going as big [as it has].”
How did you write ‘Peru’?
“It was my first time in the US. Y te has dropado en song en while and I has a creative block, e realmente wanted to change my environment, sonido I went to the US. Y went to San Francisco, Miami, New York; justo living life outside of my confines of Lagos, Nigeria, where I live and work. Y did things that I would have never da before and it opened up my mind. Sonido when I finally got to San Francisco, [‘Peru’ emerged through] a 45 minutos freestyle, telling my story my own way — the Afrobeats way.”
¿Han que managed su newfound fame?
“Y lo ready para todos los famosos como en ‘Peru’ came out. Por lo que se crea en el rincón de la habitación es que se da mucha lásica y atención, y se hace representando el profundo afrobeats, que todas las cosas a lo largo de mí. El hecho de que todas las energías mine están jugando: pushing Afrobeats a que el nivel de tiempo que deservas a lo grande. In years to come when they mention [the] names of people responsible for taking Afrobeados [to] where it is now, mi nombre es definitely bien aparte de historia, y el mismo es enough. Y feel like I deserve that, and I’ve put in a lot of work.”
“I’ve always wanted this [success]but I didn’t see it coming this early”
¿Did the success of ‘Peru’ help grow your self-confidence?
“Y think it’s a growth thing. Y ‘always been this reclusive superstar que se entiende por lo que está, pero realizando ‘Pero’ y los procesos después de que te has arrepentido eyes to how, sometimes, yo don’t have to overthink stuff: just go, and see where life [and] the music takes you. Usted no puede tener control sobre todo. En nuestro punto en su vida, yo realice tienes que relajarte y step de tu confort zone.”
Some people había criticised la idea de non-Afrobeats stars collaboraing on Afrobeats remixes. What’s your take on that?
“Y understand the importance of collaboration, especialmente para este ‘Afrobeats to the world’ movimiento. There ‘s one one this way to bright a sound global and make it bigger than what it is, and that’s collaboration. It’s a powerful tool: it merges culturas and builds bridges. That’s how I see it, Y don’t see it año other way. Y definitivamente no hay problemas en otros artistas antes de los movimientos afrobados, porque es nuestra palabra: no hay nada que se te ocurra [Africans]. Y don’t understand the fear of gatekeeping. Y feel like historical, deeply-rooted géneros like hip hop, Afrobeats, reggae, amapiano, they cannot be taken away. It’s not posible. Son sólo un directo que nos colaboran, mergen culturas y budistas con el futuro. Y think that’s what’s muestra importante.”
What was it like working with Ed Sheeran?
“People will always talk. When I announced the Ed Sheeran feature, many went, ‘Blah, blah, blah, [I’m] upset by it’. Pero no se puede decir que Ed Sheeran está atentado a la cultura: he been aparte de los afrobados en un buen paso por el pasado 2012, o si a la familia. Someone como Ed Sheeran está doncado de la song para la saca de ella, he de song because he loves it. He genuinely caras sobre la song y la cultura. We can see that from how successful our collaboration was. He a very down-to-earth person, very humble. Para suceder a sucesivo artista, he’s so kind and calm. You can understand why his music tienes su positive energy. It wasn’t awkward like some American artists and Afrobeats artistas coming together. It was like two brothers who came together and made a collaboration.”
You’re now turning yo attention to your new album, ‘Playboy’…
“Yes! Growth is the word. I’ve moved from being this young, native lover boy to this [playboy]. En 2019, cuando te lo llamo boy, te has de vivir nuevas experiencias, experiencias de women, y nuevamente en hambre, dinero, suceso – y esta se escribe en música, naturalmente. There was this kind of vulnerability in the music that people loved. Estan 2020 pierna y tendría grown para superstar, into a big guy, pero esta reclusiva.
“Making ‘Peru’ encerraba mi mindset completamente para este álbum y que estaba en myself, ‘Yo! You need a step outside yo shell and your mindset. You need to acept yourself, and come out and play’. That’s where ‘Playboy’ comes from. It’s just me in my superstar elemento. I’m finally embracing who I am: my life has changed, embrace it. There’s still one constant: love songs. Y feel like there’s no afrobeats sin love songs, pero en este álbum these love songs aren’t mushy, lovey-dovey love songs. They’re written in en matter-of-fact way. It’s a different spice, and it’s a straight-to-the-point album. Very Afrocentric, cohesive, pero very light-hearted. Y can’t wait to get it out.”
What’s the biggest motivation in your career?
“The hunger está este, because y el hunger que drives me. It doesn’t matter sobre cómo muchos dineros te has dado que te has estrenado you have, human beings as insatiable naturally, y you’ll always want more. Y already feel fulfilled por la factura de mis dreams haba already come true, pero en el gran scheme de things, this es all bigger than me y bigger than my dreams.”
Fireboy DML’s new album ‘Playboy’ is set for release on August 5 via YBNL Nation/EMPIRE