Whilst the U.K has endured its typical overcast feel for the majority of its summery months, it’s best to put your headphones in, close your eyes and paint a picture of being in a different scenic setting.
A recommendation at the forefront to ponder this thought is U.K born, Nigerian descendant BOJ, who has released a body of work which embodies the tropical feels, his new album 12 Summers. This is a project which dives into culture, life experiences and blissful encounters as Bolaji invites us into the alté reality.
The details – down to the artwork – showcase that BOJ’s latest masterpiece is fun, vibrant and daring, as he binds genres together with a collection of artists ranging from London’s Sainté and Blanco to Lagos’s ODUMODUBLVCK.
Ahead of the release, GRM Daily spoke to B-O-J about the new project, collaborating with an array of artists, live performances and much more.
So BOJ, what can your listeners expect from your new album 12 Summers?
“12 Summers is BOJ music but elevated. I did a lot of genre bending and experimenting. It’s not just super chilled as it usually is, there’s a lot of high-tempo towards the end of the project. It still has the same BOJ essence, but more elevated.”
There’s a mix of UK and African artists across the project. Was there an importance of having both on the album with your backgrounds?
“Exactly! Most of the time when I get into my car, I listen to a playlist which I heard from BXKS’s Instagram. BXKS is really hard, she’s a UK rapper. I went on her Instagram and she had this playlist. That playlist is 90% UK music. I found Blanco on there and I was like I have to work with this guy!”
When you’re in the studio with these artists, do you feel they improve your own artistic style?
“100%. I don’t actually know how many artists I was with in the studio recording. I started recording this album in Ghana, then I went to Lagos. In general, working with artists in the studio brings out a different side to you. Their inspirations trickle down to you. They might see it from a different perspective and make you see it from a different perspective.”
What was your process for the album? Was it recorded in quick sessions? Or a journey where you recorded in difference locations?
“I basically started off by going to Ghana with my team, got a beach house and stayed there for like two weeks. Everyday, we were soaking in the music, seeing the waves and just being inspired by the environment. Then we went back to Lagos and I met RAGEE, who ended up doing the majority of the songs on the project. I started then to think who I wanted on the songs. I’m a very collaborative artist. I get bored listening to songs when it’s just me on it! That’s just a personal thing. I started calling them into the sessions and that’s how we did it.”
The genre alté, can you give us the backstory to its origin?
“So Alté is not really a music genre. When we say alté, we’re talking about freedom of expression. In Nigeria, they’ve turned it into anybody that looks different or is left from centre. When we started using that slang, we mean it’s anybody that expresses really without boundaries. Without whatever the trend is, you’re just doing your own thing. Whether it’s fashion, music, film, art, as long as it’s not the norm. When you are naturally unique! The music is really afrobeats, R&B, amapiano, hip-hop, all that shit blended in. That’s how I see my music.”
You just touched on alté being fashion, we saw that you attended Paris Fashion Week. Is that something you’re considering as well as music?
“It is. I do have a clothing brand called Action Boyz. I love fashion. I think that was the second fashion week I attended. I like being in those environments. l like linking up with people and seeing what can happen.”
Where does the name BOJ come from?
“It was a nickname given to me by a friend when I was much younger in school here in England. My actual name is Bolaji, so she started to call me BOJ and it just stuck! In Nigeria, most people call me B-O-J.”
What would you say is your first memory of music?
“Wow! When I think back of my first memory in music, I think it would be realising Toni Braxton was a woman! I remember being in the car with my mum, telling her I really like the song and my mum says “She’s one of my favourite artists”. I’m arguing with my mum that it’s not a woman because her voice was a bit deep. Then I saw the videos and said “You’re right!”. That’s one thing I remember, I was really young at the time. Maybe three to four years ago, she came to Nigeria and the first thing she does was a video and starts to sing one of my songs.”
Have you managed to meet her?
“No, but we have worked together. It just hasn’t come out yet, she’s sent me some stuff to work on.”
When would you say you started to make music?
“I started making music in 2010/2011. When I was in school, all my boys were making music. They had a group called Rap Royals. They were coming back to Lagos for a show. I was thinking it would be weird if I’m the only black boy to not be a part of this thing! They let me do a verse to be a part of the show. From there it was all rap, then one time, I produced a song called Marry You which was afrobeats. Everyone loved it and it was the biggest reception from all of our songs. I thought I’m going to stick to this because I wasn’t really good at anything. I was playing football at the time but my mum stopped me because my grades were so bad. I wasn’t good at anything else so I thought I’m going to take this one on.”
Talking about live performances now, you previously headlined Village Underground. Can you take us back to that night?
“I mean it feels amazing. At first, even though it was sold out, I was still worried people weren’t going to show up. It was sold out, but I was worrying if I still have some haters that bought out all the tickets to make me look stupid! It was an amazing night. My dad came, my girlfriend surprised me, a bunch of my friends came out to show love and Wizkid came out. It was amazing man.”
I want to go back to last year and OURLAND 23, can you tell us about this experience and what can fans expect this year?
“That was a festival that I started in Lagos last year and will return 30th December this year. The idea behind OURLAND is self-explanatory. This is our land! This is our music, this is our art, this is our everything. We are trying to showcase that. A lot of people in this alté scene, there is not really a platform for them. Most platforms are mainstream driven. OURLAND is everything. You can come and see an artist that just started yesterday and they’re incredible. Then, you can come and see the biggest artist on the stage on the same day. It’s a community. Cool people, cool vibes. We had people painting live on stage, DJ’s, a real sense of community and a celebration of our freedom of expression. Mojo was there, Knucks was there, a bunch of people pulled up.”
Like you said, it gives some people their first opportunity. What advice do you have for those who have a talent but are not successful yet?
“Just believe in yourself! That’s the most important thing. When you believe, other people start believing too. It’s your vision and you’re the only one that can actually see it. You can’t look to people for validation. You have to believe in that vision you see and ride with it to the end.”
Where have you found yourself having the most fun when performing on stage?
“My craziest experience for sure was Parklife with Dave. That was the first time I played to that type of crowd. The reaction! I was speaking another language and I didn’t really know what to expect. It was one of the defining moments for me.”
Who are three artists currently at the top of your playlist?
“Bossman Dlow, Rema, Blanco. If there was a fourth, it’s Odeal. I like Odeal!”
Finally, what has been the best advice given to yourself along your musical journey?
“That no one actually knows what they’re doing! That’s the honest truth. Everyone just believes strongly in what they’re doing.”
BOJ’s new album 12 Summers is out now and available on all digital streaming platforms.