NTS Don't Assume with Zakia

Dont Assume is a long-form interview series from NTS, presented by Zakia Sewell.

Author: NTS

Dont Assume is a long-form interview series from NTS, presented by Zakia. In this podcast Zakia will be talking to pioneers, disruptors and innovators about their lives and music. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Language: en

Genres: Music, Music Interviews

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Obongjayar
Episode 8
Thursday, 17 October, 2024

If you don’t yet know the name Obongjayar, you will. Since emerging in 2016 he’s made a series of gradual but intentional moves, launching his debut album in 2022 and collaborating with some big hitters like Little Simz, Pa Salieu, Danny Brown and Fred Again. Growing up in Nigeria where power cuts were a regular occurrence, he would often only catch half a song on the radio before the electricity went out but finish it in his head. Here he explains how this knack for filling in the gaps continued after he moved to England aged 17, picking up new influences at uni in Norwich before dropping his rapper persona to discover his true voice: Obongjayar, meaning king and junior. His songs swing from the political to the poetic and are often deeply personal. He tells Zakia the backstory to one song in particular, ‘I Wish It Was Me', a beautiful track about the love and jealousy he harbours for his little brother, which he played for his family for the first time on film. Family, music and faith are woven throughout this conversation with plenty of Don't Assume moments including the fact that OB was, and still is, a massive Westlife fan, and that his first band was a Christian rap outfit at school. You heard it here first. Check out Obongjayar on NTS: https://www.nts.live/artists/39127-obongjayarPresenter - Zakia Sewell Producer - Alannah Chance Music composition - Jennifer WaltonMix-Mastering - Sol King Exec Producer - Lizzy King for NTS Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.