Nasboi Has Always Been A Musician

In February of last year, Nasboi put out “Lover Boy,” a record that uses distinct and colorful Nigerian imagery to relay its message of pristine affection. In the first line of that song, he sings “Girl, I go sing like Wande Coal / And I go even use falsetto,” a foreshadowing of the Nigerian pop stalwart’s feature on Nasboi’s next record, “Umbrella.”

Although “Lover Boy” was arguably better in application of tone and talk, it was “Umbrella” that catapulted Nasboi to national consciousness, for the second time, and as he would have hoped, this time as a musician.

“There was no planning,” says Nasboi about the timing behind that release. “I just needed to sing again. I wasn’t tired, and I needed people to hear me”. Adapting a robust promotional style that ensured most people knew the “Umbrella” chorus even before the song was officially out, Nasboi says that, too, happened rather naturally. “I think the dance helped,” he says, “so the good thing is there was a dance, and it became really infectious. It doesn’t mean it was a strategy exactly. ‘Cause it’s one thing to have a strategy and another thing for people to buy it.”

Underlining his long-term interests in music, a song on I.N.I.T was recorded as early as 2021 and the rest were made in the past year. A collection of nine tracks, the album is sonically unified through the mellow base its songs share. Often, Nasboi probes the pulpy terrain of affection, employing his humor in his songwriting as well as the elocution. As many have shared online, listeners came away from the project impressed.

On “Could This Be Love,” an emotionally invested Nasboi delivers one of the best performances on his album. The warmth of his husky vocals on his first verse works to the record’s appeal and beautifully sets up Chike, whose evocative vocals effectively stamp its beauty. On “Confession,” you get a different side of Nasboi, with more urgent delivery creating a yin-yang effect when paired with the breezy ease of Joeboy’s contribution. “No Be So” sees Nasboi go the solo route, as he does on three other songs here, but he’s beautifully supplemented by backing female vocals.

When asked about his musical influences, Nasboi mentions his upbringing by a Yoruba dad and a Delta mum, who always seemed to play Fuji, possibly due to her marrying from Southwestern Nigeria. An indigene of Osun state, Nasboi grew up in Port Harcourt and was schooled in Akwa Ibom. “I have a mixture of everything,” he says.

Interest in contemporary Nigerian music came with the likes of 2Face Idibia and Wande Coal. “I was so into 2Face,” says Nasboi with a lot of admiration. “So those were the people that inspired my sound and inspired me.” Idibia features on “Ashewo,” a fun, rap-tinged record that places his zesty, signature vocal layering alongside the artist now known as 2Baba. The rapper Falz delivers a verse that polishes the record’s stirring feels and also feeds its meta-appeal, himself an artist who had stints as a comic act.

All this sprung up, one would likely remember, from those early stabs at skit-making in 2020, with Nasboi mimicking Davido’s husky voice and subsequently getting the pop star’s support. He would go on to create a catalog of culturally-attuned videos, which never slithered towards the objectification of women’s bodies or other usual tropes of Nigerian digital comedy. Nasboi established himself as an original thinker and he carries that intentionality into the (re)making of his music career.

As Nasboi tells the story, it’s all connected. The comedy, the music, and whatever is next to come. “I don’t think I’ll stop being a comedian,” he says towards the end of our conversation. “I don’t know how easy it’ll be to balance it, but it’s something I’d love to do. I don’t understand the idea of killing one talent for the other. You go to America, people in Hollywood, you know, you see them doing music, doing comics, you see them acting. But down here, they always want to put you in a box. I don't want to be in a box.”