In the spirit of its namesake, Tay Iwar’s new EP is filled with wonder. Making the boldest of statements in just five songs, and opening up a whole new world for his listeners, Iwar has worked his magic in novel ways––it’s therefore only right that this project and its title track are christened, Wonderful. This sonic adventure is a heartfelt celebration of the star’s heritage, shining a dazzling light on the Tiv culture of Nigeria’s Benue State. He has broken the musical mould, topped charts and worked with the biggest global artists of today, but in this season of his renowned career, the multiple-Grammy-nominated creator is digging deeper than ever before. Using music as a vehicle, Tay Iwar is showing us his culture and his heart.
The man himself sits down with GRM to tell a story of rich culture, deep emotion and reimagined childhood dreams.
Congratulations on your beautiful new EP, Wonderful. How would you describe this body of work to someone who has never heard it before?
“It’s a sonic experiment that hopes to bring people closer to my roots. I’m a Tiv boy – Tiv is my tribe in Benue State, Nigeria. I want to shine awareness on the fact that Nigeria is such a diverse place with so many different tribes and different sounds. But I also wanted to keep the music true to the sonic identity that I’ve given to the world. So it’s a fusion between my cultural roots and my sonic roots.”
What inspired you to shine a light on your cultural heritage at this moment in your career?
“Well, it’s something that’s been on my mind for a long time but I just didn’t know how to. Then I had an epiphany – I went into this mindset of, ‘Do your thing, like really do it’. If you’re a Tiv person from Benue state then make sure you can show that; if you were raised with R&B and still have all those Nigerian and American influences, or British or global influences, just do your thing and display all of that, you know?”
And how would you describe your sonic identity?
“My music is emotional. That’s the main thing that ties all my music together – it’s emotionally-resonant music. I don’t like to get too into the genre business because every time I’m making a song, I’m most likely fusing several genres. So I focus on the emotion.”
How do you want people to feel when they listen to your music?
“I want people to be open-minded and to dream. I would hope that anyone who listens to my music can easily close their eyes and teleport somewhere.”
Your project artwork is always memorable. What was the inspiration behind the cover art for the Wonderful EP?
“It’s another display of culture. The artist is ‘Shakka Badmon’ (Shaquille-Aaron Keith) – he’s a British artist who was commissioned by my creative director. On the cover, we are showcasing Mami Wata, which is a spiritual element that runs across West African cultures. But here, we’re presenting the Tiv depiction of Mami Wata, the spirit guide. There’s a name for how my tribe specifically showcases culture: it’s called Kwagh-Hir and it’s like a type of theatrical performance that was created to make the Tiv culture more accessible to the world. Mami Wata is relevant because she is fluid; she’s the perfect example of beauty and fluidity and diversity in West African culture. ”
Wow, that’s so powerful. And thinking more about your cultural identity, tell us a bit about where you grew up.
“I was actually born in Lagos, and I grew up in Abuja, but I’m from Benue State – I’m a Tiv boy. In Nigeria, you can be from a particular place but born elsewhere. My parents weren’t born in Benue State but that’s the culture they were immersed in. We’d go to Benue State multiple times a year for Easter and periods of celebration, so my whole energy and mindset around home has always been joyous. That’s why this project [Wonderful EP] is so upbeat – it makes you wanna dance.”
And your whole family is musical, right?
“Yeah, basically. My dad just loves music so much, he thinks that everyone should play an instrument. That’s his position in life: if you’re a human being, you should be able to play an instrument! [Laughs]. So he put me and my siblings in music school on the weekends. I learnt the piano and guitar. I also learnt the drums but I’m not very good at that!”
Who were some of your biggest musical influences?
“Definitely my big brother. He was the first person I ever saw recording with a microphone, and from the moment I saw it, I just thought that was the coolest thing in the world. So I’ve gone on this journey just trying to be that person. And then my eldest brother took it to the next level by introducing me to production software and a bunch of other music stuff. My brothers are my biggest inspirations.”
And when you were growing up, aside from being a musician, was there anything else you dreamed of doing?
“Yes definitely, I wanted to do so many things! As a kid, my first dream was that I literally wanted to be Dexter [from the cartoon, Dexter’s Laboratory]. I was just a child so I didn’t know anything about jobs, but seeing Dexter making things in his lab, I just wanted to be him. I thought, ‘Whatever he’s doing, I wanna do that.’ Then it changed from scientist to law to engineering. I even wanted to be a soldier at one point. I had so many dreams. But to have ended up as a musician is actually kind of full circle, because I realised it’s almost the same thing as what Dexter was doing – I’m in the studio playing around with physics and sounds in my own lab. So it kind of feels like I ended up just living that first dream.”
You are your own Dexter! And if you could go back to the beginning of your career, what advice would you give yourself?
“That’s a good question. I have to think about that one… I would say a lot of things. But mainly: ‘Have patience.’ I would say that I need to be more patient with myself, and really care more about everything I do. I started music really young – it’s only when you grow older that you think you should have paid more attention. I would definitely tell myself to be patient with myself and be patient with other people. And to just keep going.”
Take it all in and listen to Tay Iwar’s new EP, Wonderful here on GRM Daily.