Oluwakayode Junior Balogun, known as Barry Jhay is a Nigerian recording artist, performer, entertainer from Ibadan. He’s a prominent indigenous singer from the lineage of the legendary music icon, Late Sikiru Ayinde Barrister. With popular songs like Olodo, Go Down, Normal Level, Aiye, Tomorrow, and Melanin, Barry Jhay style f music is more pop than his Dad, a sound he calls ‘Afro Fuji Pop’, successfully serving his listeners a perfect blend of unlikely genres that only a few have managed to hack.
Barry Jhay won The Best New Act of the Year at City People Music Awards in 2018 and also got nominated for Most Promising Act of the Year at City People Music Awards. He has also won The Rookie of the year award at The 2019 Headies Awards. Though we can conclude that he inherited the passion for quality and proverbial lyrical style
from his father, the sonic quality he brings into the music industry is second to none.
As he continues to grow his own legacy, he’s ready to take his career to the next phase with a new body of work titled ‘Son of God’. The 7-track EP comes hot on the heels of a controversial 2021 and is billed to reclaim his stance as one of the best music superstars from Africa. Slightly deviating from his usual Afro-pop sound, Barry Jhay opens up the EP with ‘Level Up’, a trap joint on which he acknowledges the never-dying hustle spirit of every youth in recent times. In a diaristic narrative, he reels us in with proverbial lyrics on the focus track ‘Story’, as he recalls his life trajectory from an average background.
This EP means a lot to me, as it is dedicated to my late brother Kashy and it is also to mark the beginning of a new phase of my life and career. I’ve got other projects in the works, but I had to get this out of the way first, to pour out all the emotions I’ve kept hidden away for a while. As usual, it’s relatable music and I believe a lot of people will resonate with my words
Speaking on the EP, Barry Jhay says.
He enlists Nigerian rapper Zlatan Ibile on the remix of his 2021 Ampiano single ‘Aiyewada’, a celebratory song about being free from negativity and setbacks. Threading his trademark lush chords on the project from start to finish, Barry touches on love & reassurance with Kuami Eugene on ‘Right By You’, and commits his heart’s desires into God’s hands on the closing track ‘Bless Me’.
In partnership with leading streaming platform Boomplay, ‘Son Of God’ EP is now exclusively available to stream ahead of the official release.
