With Harrysong, one can easily know what to expect. From his ingenious penmanship to his enigmatic storytelling and humourous delivery, the acclaimed musician warmed his way through the hearts of his listeners for over a decade and half.
Since he kick-started his professional career as a band leader in 2007, the singer, born in Warri and named Harrison Okiri, has created a streak of hits that have illuminated his rise within contemporary Afrobeats. Now, with his fourth studio album dubbed, Gods Among Men, the singer and songwriter unveils his latest opus, standing steadfastly on the hill of evergreen African music.
Renowned for his songwriting skills, melodies, and captivating stage presence, Harrysong has proven himself to be a master of reinvention. As the music industry shifts towards newer sounds and younger talents, Harrysong effortlessly adapts, infusing his music with contemporary nuances while staying true to his unique style.
On Gods Among Men, Harrysong joins forces with a vibrant army of hitmakers including Olamide, Fireboy, Majeed, Camidoh, Nandy, among others, creating  a rich tapestry of songs that range from braggadocious deliveries, as demonstrated in the powerful intro, to heartfelt odes to love in tracks like “Tick Tock.” Enriched with life lessons and social commentary, the offering is a unique perspective from a veteran vantage point. A didactic record, the album encapsulates his journey as an artist who has weathered the storm, remaining relevant amidst a sea of youthful trends.
Catching up with Guardian Music, the father-of-two delves deeper into his craft, with a penetrating focus on his evergreen songwriting and sonorous harmonisation as key recipes for his nostalgic-futuristic complex to his music-making. He peels memories behind making this vibrant new album, as well as all the significant moments that led to this milestone, among others. 

You dropped a new project, Gods Among Men. How are you feeling about it? 
YES, I’m excited about it, my fourth project, and the love that the fans are showing me around the world. Africa has been amazing, I love it.

Why do you think people love your music?
I think maybe it’s because it’s very different, the message, from the message, lyrical content, my own perspective when I wanted to start the project, I was just like, this has to be very special. So I think they love it because my way of writing songs is different, my kind of production, maybe my sound of voice.
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Then they must have some other secret ingredients that they also love it for that I don’t know, but these are the little things I think they love it for. First of all, I know that the song is a serious business, I know that, and I know the fan base is strong. So that I know, so I love the way they are loving it now, I’m telling you.

You have spent over 10 years in the industry and you’re still a relevant voice. How do you feel knowing you’ve come this far and what’s been keeping you thus far? 
First, consistency. Second, they know that Extraordinarily I’ve got what it takes. I don’t joke with the fan base. I don’t take them for granted. I know that constantly I need their love, I need their support. And they’ve trusted me with all of this over the years. So I deliver. I carry it on my head, on my shoulders. When I want to put out any project as special as God Among Men, I’m deliberate from the production to selecting tones, to progressions, to lyrics, to writing, to the music directing, everything.

I make sure that it is top-notch. And this is also about my story, about my life, the things that I’ve been through, my wins, my losses, the challenges that I’ve been through. And being Harry’s song still, in all. So it inspired God Among Men. So all these things put together just keep me going.

What’s the message you’re spotlighting with the album? 
The message is clear. If you want to be extraordinary, don’t be scared of challenges. Don’t give up. No matter what you’re doing, stay focused, get it done. If you fall, get up and start again. Don’t always be scared to start again, no matter what it is. So sometimes it gets really tough, but believe in yourself and keep doing what you know how to do best. Don’t deceive yourself. You don’t have it, you don’t have it. If you’ve got it, tell yourself, “yes, I’ve got it and I’m going to do it.” So keep doing it. Keep winning.

Were you ever at that moment (got scared) in your life as well? 
Yes. It got to some point where because of the pressures, temptations and trials, you just get a little scared and want to give up. But you just keep telling yourself, because you know that you’ve got the gift, you know you’re special, you know you’re extraordinary. You just don’t give up. You keep pushing and keep believing. And at the end of it, we always win.

How do you feel about this record compared to your previous ones?
The last project was amazing. We were all in the pandemic, but the EP gave me a corner featuring Rude Boy.
We had a lot of sponsors on that because we trended and the fans showed massive love. I was encouraged by that. It wasn’t a complete album. It was just a few songs from the Right About Now EP. But right now, on Gods Among Men that just dropped on Friday, because of the acceptance and the love that they’re showing already, we should be hitting number one anytime soon. I can’t lie. We should be hitting number one worldwide very soon.
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From where do you draw inspiration?
There is always something to sing about. There’s always things to write about. This inspiration is not my problem because everyday living inspires me. Everything that’s happening around me inspires me.

There’s no one day that I’ve thought about going back to any of my hit songs to say, let me be inspired by this. Because after it’s done and it’s a hit, I’ve moved on. When we were recording God Among Men, I was supposed to drop 11 songs.

And we dropped 40 songs for them to pick the 15 that we released. That’s why this is the gift. There’s always something to sing about. There’s always things to write about. The inspiration never stops.

How did you arrive at some of the collabs on the album?
So let’s just see how you made those collaborations. Asante, me, and Camidoh, and Majeeed. Majeeed, when we were doing the beats, Majeeed started vibing the chorus. So Majeeed is very talented.

I got connected to Majeeed because of his talent. Majeeed is a good writer. Majeeed wants to write and wants to sing, the melody is always heavenly. I love the boy. I love the kid. So I thought about bringing him up. We vibed together and sent the song to Camidoh in Ghana.
And when Camidoh sent back what he’s done, it was 100 per cent. I met Camidoh when I went to perform in Ghana. I think it was last year. So we performed together on the show and that’s where we met. And after that, when we sent the song, it was great.

So with She Knows, that was an interesting collab. Fireboy and Olamide. You know that I and Olamide’s relationship has been together for a very long time. We did that from I’m in  Love remix. After I’m in Love remix, we did Reggae Blues together.

Yes, Reggae Blues was that iconic record. Yes, Reggae Blues together. And now She Knows and Fireboy is on it. So we’ve kept this. And anytime we come together, it’s a hit. Anytime we come together, it’s Majeeed. So it’s the friendship that is worth dying for. I don’t joke with that guy. That guy is a God amongst men. Believe me.

Interesting. So did you handpick these collaborations yourself or your team did?
No, I picked them myself.

In this era of Afrobeats where songwriting is very respected, as a key player in that scene, tell us what you think about the acceptance of the art? 
It is way better compared to when we started. We wrote songs for free. We wrote songs for friends. We wrote songs because our heads were full and we just wanted to write and express ourselves.
But now there’s money in it. It’s big. It’s quite big. And we have publishing now, the different companies that songwriters and I’re making money right now. So for me, I’m excited about it.

Whose music do you listen to right now? 
I listen to a lot of different kinds of music. I listen to jazz. I listen to RnB. Sometimes I listen to some old school high life music. Different kinds of music just depending on the mood. And wetin my hand touches at the time. Maybe I feel just inspired or just chill. So I listen to different kinds of music. Sometimes gospel music.
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Interestingly, you started from the church and you used to play the conga.
I still do. I still play that. I still play drums. I still play piano. I still play guitar. Can’t stop.

So from this project, can you tell us three of your favourite records and why?
From this project, I love Naughty You. I love Papa Madingo. I love it a lot. Naughty You, I love it because of the approach with lyrics, the progression and the bounce. I love that. Makes it special for me.

Then Alert is a go now now now song. It’s a go now now song any day any time. And I know the ladies are going to love Alert. The ladies love it. Come on. Everybody wants to get Alert right now.. Then Papa Madingo was inspired by one congo song like that. I wish I could remember especially that. But the thing is, if you listen to Papa Madingo, you have that mixed feelings of where is this guy actually coming from? So those are the three songs I’m vibing to right now.

Are you extending your versatility to the stage? 
Yes, you will. We start shooting videos. The listening party was yesterday in Lagos. The album. Then after that, we’re going to do some concerts on this album on God Among Men. Because it’s going to be the banquet of the gods. So after that, we’ll do some concerts. I’ll go to the UK, Europe, then back to Nigeria to do Kingmaker concerts for this year.

Any memorable moments so far from your career that you’d just like to chip in? 
I have a lot. I can’t forget Mandela. That’s the song that changed my life. It took me to the Grammys. I can’t forget Mandela. And I can’t forget Reggae Blues till today.
The song that was still posted yesterday, That means Reggae Blues won’t become my monument. Yes! So this thing just gives me joy. I’m excited about it. I’m glad for the acceptance for Gods Among Men album. I can’t wait for Saturday. That’s cool.

Tell us three personal fun facts that your fans would love to hear.
I don’t think they know that Harrysong Is a shy person. I get shy when I try to get personal. That’s one. Then two, I can cook when I want. Three, I don’t know if they know that I love Arsenal so much. I’m an Arsenal fan. I can do anything for Arsenal. I love Arsenal so much.

How is fatherhood for you? Balancing it with your career?
Fantastic. I have two daughters now. I’m great. I’m loving it. It’s a responsibility. But come on, these girls love me already. The connection is 100. I love it. I’m learning and growing with it. It’s going to get me better and better.

Lastly, what’s the vision for Harrysong? 
We’ve been dropping hits back to back. We just dropped the Gods Among Men album and the love is massive.
We will create platforms for younger artists, keep encouraging them as much as we can. Invest also in younger artists because when you invest in people, that’s like investing in another life and encouraging another life and another generation.
For me, creating platforms for younger ones is key for me because I put together the Niger-Delta talent hunt. I do that every year. I’m still going to do phase two this year. My vision and plan is to just keep doing it in Africa, not only Nigeria. Travel to different African countries, create platforms for both writers, singers, young talented people and by God’s grace, make them superstars.
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