From Spring Issue 57
Nigerian musician, Omah Lay, talks to Glass Man about his mission to share the soul of Afro-fusion music with the world.
Omah Lay has a rare mix of traits – he’s a perfectionist but he doesn’t force things. He strives for excellence but there’s an undeniable sense of calm, ease and flow about him. You can hear it in his music – infectious rhythms blend seamlessly with introspective lyrics and stirring instrumentals, transporting you on a journey into the inner depths of Lay’s universe.
Here in his soundscape, you meet a man comfortable with his vulnerability and as a leader of the Afro-fusion movement.
Photographer: Rinaldo Sata
His innovative ear finds inspiration everywhere, from the contagious beats of West Africa’s highlife to the bubbling hip-hop scene in the streets of his Nigerian hometown, Port Harcourt. After his self-produced single Bad Influence went viral in 2020, the 26-year-old has continued to share his interior landscape with the world – the highs, lows and everything in between.
One only has to look to his 2022 debut album, Boy Alone, for evidence. The track list mesmerises with poetic reflections on mental health and hedonism, blending and transcending genre in Lay’s textbook style. Crafting the future of Afro-fusion music in real-time, his mission is to share the sounds of his continent’s soul with the world. It’s a lofty goal, but with Lay’s breezy vocals and maverick spirit, I have a feeling this perfectionist will make it look easy.
Photographer: Rinaldo Sata
How has 2024 been treating you so far?
This year so far has been good. You know, there’s just so many things that I want to do … I want to make an album this year, so stay tuned. It’s a lot of work … But I’ve been focusing on my shows, being able to connect with the fans more, and learning about myself, my personality and how to live life. It’s been such a good year already.
What types of things are you learning?
I’m just beginning to try stuff … stuff that I thought I would never do, or that I never thought that I liked or that it’s my vibe. I’m just doing it and discovering. I’m learning how to express myself more, you know, just embracing who I am.
Photographer: Rinaldo Sata
There are so many ways people go about expressing themselves – art, film, dance, fashion. Why music?
Honestly, that is something that I don’t think I can answer [laughs]. It’s just like asking why your mum is your mum, you feel me? Yeah, it wasn’t a conscious thing, it just happened. I realised how much love I have for it and now I just can’t stop. This is the one place where I can express myself, I can tell you that for sure. One of the reasons I make music is because I love the feeling it gives me, the high. I can’t wait for what’s next. There’s also something that happens with the visuals … the manifestation.
It’s the whole process of making music. Think about it – you go into the studio, you make the track, you make the video, you watch the audience receive the song, and then you’re performing. And everybody in the world is singing the song. There is a high that this gives you and you’re addicted to it … I have so much love for it.
Photographer: Rinaldo Sata
Can you give us glimpse into your creative process?
Yeah, it comes spontaneously. When it happens, it’s very simple. Sometimes it’s just on the spot … you hear a beat and it’s, like, you have the whole thing in your head already. And within the next 30 minutes, you’ve imagined a whole record. It’s fluid. I go with it, wherever it takes me.
Boy Alone was such a raw slice of your life – is that vulnerability something that comes easily to you?
Yeah, I think it’s part of my personality. I don’t think that it’s just a thing about being comfortable to talk about my mental health. I think this is just me, living my life. This is who I am and I have all the freedom to express my personality – as I told you, learning more about myself and how to express more of myself.
That’s what I did with Boy Alone. It’s a snapshot of what I was feeling and how my mind was feeling at the time, sadly. It’s that moment of my life and I managed to capture that in melody. I’m always going to be very honest on my records. I always have been. Very honest. I’m going to show as much as I can.
Photographer: Rinaldo Sata
You’ve collaborated with some epic talents like Justin Bieber, 6LACK, Olamide and Luciano. Who else would you like to make music with?
Yeah, at the moment, I’ve been listening to a bunch of South African music. I’m listening to lots of Uncle Vinny. I definitely, definitely want to do something with him. I heard this song that drives me crazy called Piki Piki. It’s so nice.
Photographer: Rinaldo Sata
What’s it like being one of the leaders of the Afro-fusion movement?
I have to keep pushing. It’s one of the reasons why all this is happening and why we are here today … I am here to push Afrobeats to the world to see the world come together, you feel me? I’m just going to be doing that until it happens … Until the whole world is, like, ‘yo, this is a genre’.
It’s growing, it’s growing very fast. But at this moment, in some territories, Afrobeats is just a vibe, you know, it’s not really a genre people look at to consume. In Africa, it’s the music we consume, but to the rest of the world, it’s a vibe. Maybe people know one or two songs, but the goal is to make Afrobeats that the world will consume as a genre. There is no purpose to do it and not do it at the highest level. It doesn’t make any sense.
Photographer: Rinaldo Sata
When you go back home to Nigeria, do you see the way your music is changing and influencing the local scene?
For sure. My influence is everywhere in the Nigerian and Afrobeats scene. If you listen to the young guys, they all sound like me [laughs]. It’s only normal, simply because I’m putting them on new vibes and it’s nice. They will always go where the new vibe is. I don’t necessarily need to go back home to see my influence … I can see it here in London too.
Photographer: Rinaldo Sata
Do you miss home? What’s the first thing you do when you touch down in Lagos?
Definitely bro, jeez … I miss my Mum. I miss my little brothers. I can always go home anytime but you know, life on the road … I also miss the food, the air, the warmth … the whole vibe of Lagos. I’m probably going to go home when I get back from tour.
When I touch down in Lagos, the first thing I want to do is go to a beach house and have this playlist just slamming. And I’m just out in the sun, taking Lagos breeze, bro, because it’s a different vibe. The first thing I want to do is just calm down and breathe. Outside of that it’s, like, catch the vibe, order some heavy food because Nigerian food is very heavy, eat ‘til I get a food coma, sleep and then wake up energetic.
Like your music, your style has a strong element of fusion and play. What influences are you drawing from?
I know somehow my fashion is a bit of rock, a bit of hip-hop, and a bit of Afro mixed in … I don’t have a reason why I dress the way I do. I just go by my feelings and what the occasion is.
Photographer: Rinaldo Sata
When you’re not doing music, what are you interested in putting your energy towards?
When I’m not creating music, I have a serious passion for architecture … It’s the idea of creating something and seeing it come to life or creating stuff that only existed in the past and bringing it back to life. Like, you know, having an idea of a building where people would live, or a city, and just building it from feeling and experience. People walk into a space and it gives them a feeling … It gives them a vibe and experience.
Also, fashion. Recently, I started loving fashion when I discovered that I can make myself look like how I feel. It’s just another way to express your personality, it’s very simple. Without saying ‘hi’ to someone, they can sense you by the way you dress. As soon as I figured that out, I just started loving it.
Photographer: Rinaldo Sata
Can you share more about what you’re working towards this year?
I’m working towards perfection. It’s going to be a continuous event, it never stops. It’s going to be today, tomorrow, in 20 years. As long as I am an artist, I will keep working towards that. Perfection in music, the arts, the human and everything around creativity. Sometimes I wish I wasn’t a perfectionist because you’re never happy [laughs]. You have to fight a lot of people because, you know, you want it done this way and it goes halfway, and you always think ‘it can be better, it can be better’.
by Christiana Alexakis
Photographer: Rinaldo Sata
Stylist: Holly Macnaghten
Grooming: Franck Nouwe
Lighting assistant Andreas Argyrou
Talent: Omah Lay
All clothing and accessories LOUIS VUITTON