Since his first official single ‘Menace’ there’s been a lot of evolution in Victony’s music, his ‘Saturn’ EP which happened to be his big break in 2020, introduced an entirely different Victony to Nigerians. Before the EP, some believed he could only be a rapper, but on ‘Saturn’ Victony sang in very high pitches and the light-toned voice of a lover boy.
Real name Anthony Victory, his latest project titled ‘Dark Times’ could have been called an extension of the ‘Saturn EP’ sonically, except that the message is different. This time, Victony is not singing about Maria or how her thick thighs get him confused. He is not singing about spending his life’s savings on a girl he met in a club the previous night. In the single pack ‘Dark Times,’ Victony lifts the veil of silence and introduces listeners to his spectrum of feelings since that ghastly accident in April 2021.
The two tracks, ‘Pray’ and ‘Unfamiliar Realms,’ produced by Blaize Beats and Ktizo, evidently come from a very emotional place. Before this release, his fans hungered for something from him. He had been gone for three months since the accident and many couldn’t wait to hear that he had fully recovered. It strikes me as a perfect move personally and commercially, that Victony tells his people how he’s faring through putting out new music.
The first track, ‘Pray’ has melodies very similar to The Cavemen’s ‘Osondu’ which somehow brings so much warmth and peace to any ear that listens. With soft guitar chords, minimal percussions and the resplendent texture of Victony’s vocals, ‘Pray’ is a totally sellable and relatable Afrobeats song. Little wonder it has been doing the greater numbers on streaming platforms.
‘Unfamiliar Realms’ on the other hand gives us a little reminder about what Victony used to sound like before ‘Saturn EP’. The song has an underlying pop sound and features Tredax. In ‘Unfamiliar Realms,’ Victony shares how much he longs for self-realization.
Now temporarily in a wheelchair, a different haircut and with a life-changing experience in his heart, Victony is definitely a new man. A new man with a new mission, a new approach towards going about his art, and music as his tool to conquer the world and find victory in these dark times.
Doyin probably woke up on the 26th of April with so many plans in mind. As the case always is in the industry, there must have been so much work to do about his friend Victony’s career. Little did he know that he would be involved in an accident that would forever change the life of his artist — Victony, and end his own. I pray his soul rests in peace.
