As time flies and our hunger for new music rages on, Fridays are a day that cannot come soon enough. With so many songs from established and new acts dropping at once, it’s also impossible to catch up on the new and exciting artists who are breathing fresh air in the African music landscape.
As fast-rising stars like Tems, Odunsi, Nonso Amadi and Amaarae have proved over the past months, Afropop–– in its many guises, is in particularly rude health right now. While that’s a reason to celebrate in itself, the exciting news is that there’s an unending array of fresh talent waiting to burst onto the international stage as the sound transcends and one of such artiste is Yotan.
From his early days as a high school lyrical genius, to taking an hiatus to further his studies, Yotan’s artistry has evolved before my eyes with so much more untapped potential and so many more hits to be written.
He seems to have perfected a distinctly unique sound–– a hybrid of soul, R&B and alternative music. The Lagos-based, Cyprus-raised artist is armed with an unmatched energy and creative fluidity which he has shown in previous track Sweet Chariot and now, his new single OYIN.
Yotan jumped on top of the track with a super smooth flow that’s highly resistible and eclectic vocals. He’d later admit in our chat that the song was written after falling out with an ex-lover last valentine. On OYIN, Yotan unabashedly channels his oomph and vulnerability in a way that sonically captures the attitude of a lover boy.
Listen to OYIN here:
