Nigerian music is having a great time right now, so many talented artists are making headway by the day and exporting our music globally. In the midst of this, our sound is diversifying and giving space for different kinds of music which have one job at their core: to sound good. Lagos-based Toni Dada is one of these new talents tearing up the scene with pleasant-sounding music.

Toni dada made his introduction to the scene with a smash single, a mellow Afrobeats track titled  “Candy” featuring Zarion Uti. Just before the pandemic, he released his self-titled debut EP “Toni,” and his standout track, the more upbeat “Jojo,” which showed his ability to record and release bangers. “PDA” is his latest release where he sings about showing affection to his lover in public.

Spending Lockdown in the UK, Toni Dada found solitude something to embrace rather than avoid. That time away from home brought a different sense of perception of his artistry, and that re-evaluative period birthed an evolved artist. Nowadays, Toni Dada moves fluently through Afrobeats, R&B, Drill, Soul, and Alternative music, depending on which art form best conveys his messages. toni dada produces and engineers the sounds in his music.

PDA is one of multiple releases Toni Dada has scheduled to re-establish his musical prowess. When asked what’s to come, he tells The Guardian, “More music, I took some time off not in vain but working on music now it’s time for them to enjoy all the songs I made so far.”
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We had a chat with Toni Dada about his art, his journey so far, and his latest single, “PDA”

How did you start making music?
I grew up in a household where my dad would always play Fela and Lagbaja every Saturday while we did house chores and I enjoyed how they would talk about real-life situations that even at my early age could relate to my dad was always playing old school music be it while driving me to school or during chores so I think that was where the love for that form of expression came from I didn’t pick up making music until my final year in uni because I always thought you needed a lot of money to book studio sessions. I didn’t know you could record and make music yourself until I saw a couple of friends of mine doing so in the hostels.

How does it feel to be back from a hiatus?
It feels amazing because I took some time off to finish school and also used that time to really work on my craft as an artist and push beyond my limit.

What has changed in you personally and professionally since then?
I feel a lot more confident in myself because I was able to prove to myself that I have a gift and I could actually pursue a career in music.
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Tell us a bit about PDA?
PDA is actually inspired by a conversation I had with my girlfriend who told me she wasn’t a fan of public displays of affection so it was kind of my way of responding to her and letting her know that I love it especially when we kiss and make people jealous

What prompted you to mix Drill and R&B?
Being in the UK for two years I was heavily influenced by Drill music, however in a quest to create something new and different I decided to fuse the two genres together.

What can your listeners expect in store?
More music, I took some time off not in vain but working on music now it’s time for them to enjoy all the songs I made so far.
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Who’re some of your biggest musical influences?
This is a very tricky question I do have people that I look up to and absolutely love what they do but as for influences I don’t have any, my music solely comes from real-life experiences be it my own or someone close to me

How would you describe your time away from music and has it shaped or evolved your art in any way?
I was never away from the music really I was always recording every single day trying to get better, educating myself, that helped me understand a lot about myself and my craft my strengths and weaknesses.

You’re both a producer and an artist, can we expect more songs made by you moving forward?
Definitely as much as I appreciate working with producers, sometimes if you want something done a specific way you gotta do it yourself not everyone will see the vision so I try as much as possible to educate myself in all aspects of the creative process so as to execute at a maximum level.
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