Artist To Watch: Winny

In our inaugural Artist To Watch series, we highlight Nigerian artist Winny, whose music explores the riveting nature of life and relationships.

Nigerian artist Winny poses leaning against the back of a couch in an orange shirt with lots of silver jewlery.

Winny Adanu makes soulful music primarily inspired by reggae.

Photo courtesy of Winny.


WhenWinny moved as a youngster from Jos to Makurdi, both cities within the Middle Belt region of Nigeria, people who heard her sing thought she wasn't Nigerian. "I went to choir practice with a cousin," she tells OkayAfrica in a recent conversation. "I just went there to fill space because they were missing some soprano singers, and everybody was like, 'Where did you grow up? Oh, you sound foreign.'"

That assessment might ring true when listening to "Suh Good," her single featuring Jamaican star Projexx. Evocative and sensual, its sonic make-up blends a Bob Marley-style delivery with Winny's stirring individuality.

Growing up inthe musical city of Jos, which has produced icons such asM.I Abaga and Ruby Gyang, Winny was influenced by its strong reggae culture. She would listen to artists like Little Harry, Sister Nancy and Chronixx, turning her introversion into a powerful relationship with music.

In 2013, a year after completing secondary school, Winny began visiting studios. The following year, a friend asked her to record a song with her. She hadn't thought much of the track, but it got leaked. "The next thing, I heard it on the radio," Winny says, "and then everyone in [Jos] was asking, 'Who's this?'"


For the next eight years, Winny would shuffle between school, work and music, and by 2022, when her debut EP was released, she had accrued considerable life experiences. The WINNY project demonstrated the artist's abilities: diving deep into poetic modes of perception and performance, records like "Pretty" and "Ghetto Feels" turned the exciting sonic base of reggae inside out.

On "Pretty," she affirms, "I'm pretty in my own way, and I like to sing what's on my mind / I love broke inna rich way, stay humble to make my money with pride," revealing a wise perspective that reflects the philosophical edge of reggae. Over a bright, freewheeling beat, "Ghetto Feels" explores the gains of keeping one's community real, making the refreshing point that "I know all the things I know, all the things I don't / I know wetin be my own, wetin be my own…"

Winny created most of the songs on the EP in Jos before she relocated to Lagos. "It captures self-discovery and just embraces the different elements I put in those songs," she says, affirming, "It took a year or two [to make]. I was just creating; I didn't even know it would end up being an EP. I was just recording until I moved."

Nigerian artist Winny poses on a couch decked out in jewelry.

In December, Winny got one of the biggest co-signs in African music when Wizkid was seen playing her music.

Photo courtesy of Winny.

After putting out consistently great music, one can only hope for recognition. In December, Winny got one of the strongest co-signs in African music whena clip ofWizkid enjoying time with friends featured "Suh Good" playing in the background. The lead single from Winny's sophomore EP Commercial Break was the perfect Christmas gift for the ascendant star. "I was speechless, actually," she recalls, laughing. A friend shared a message with her saying, "Good morning to Winny and Winny alone," when she further probed, they sent her a link to the video. "I could not talk!"

A mutual contact connected Winny and Projexx, who's also created music with African stars like Wizkid,Juls andTyla. Joining this elite list of collaborators distinguishes Winny as a star, just three years into her professional career and without major label backing.

You can still perceive the values Winny picked up growing up in Jos, a city culturally different from metropolitan areas like Lagos. "Growing up in the northern part of Nigeria, you get to be more grounded as a person because people respect values," she says. "There is more respect for individuals; people live peacefully with their neighbors. You try not to do things you wouldn't want your neighbor to do to you. Coming to Lagos has been different — like yin and yang."


On Commercial Break, one hears Winny soaring from the experimental ethos of her debut. She's still refreshingly honest in her songwriting but even more adept at capturing the gray areas of love. "Picture Perfect" is an atmospheric opener, accompanied by soulful chants and Winny's tone-perfect elucidation of wanting a lover by her side through the night. This theme plays into Winny's metaphor for a commercial break, which "signifies how love can be fleeting," she explains. "How it catches us unaware, with unexpected people and at unexpected places, and even though those moments are short-lived, they leave a lasting impact on our lives, just like a commercial break."

Other records like "9-5" and "Lego" showcase Winny's ability with different genres, as the former works up the soft tones of R&B. On "Lego," we hear her at her most audacious, flowing assuredly over production that could have easily been passed to a bedroom pop savant like Rex Orange County. On theThutmose-featuring "Take Me," a light touch of amapiano drums renders a vivid palette for Winny's characteristic strong vocals, resulting in one of her most sensual moments on wax.

Still growing into her artistry, it's remarkable how cohesive Winny's presentation already is. Her music gives the feeling of sitting by the beach and musing on the deeper qualities of life. She's intentionally crafted her image along those lines, her visuals reflecting natural scenes and her authentic fashion. It's a nuanced depiction of an artist from Jos, one of Nigeria's most aesthetically pleasing places.

"One thing that's synonymous with Northerners is wearing a lot of jewelry," she says about her fashion, "and I picked that up from seeing a lot of Fulanis and Hausa people around me wearing jewelry. I did wear jewelry when I was little, but not as much as I'm wearing now," she says with a laugh.

All these things considered, the emotive resonance, the presentation, the co-sign and the motion, Winny is justifiably one of the artists to watch out for right now. With the Afropop year still in full swing, there's no telling how far she could stretch her inspiring story even further. She affirms that after her sophomore EP, "it feels like the world has opened up to me," she says. "It feels warm."