When it comes to riveting hooks in Afrobeats, Mayorkun’s artistry has always sold itself as top-shelf material. Born Adewale Emmanuel, Mayorkun has easily soared into the ear canals of Afrobeats lovers since his 2016 debut single, Eleko, crafting a legacy as a ‘songsmith’ par excellence. His euphony of sonic fusions, witty wordplays, and addictive hooks have become a bold blueprint of his artistry, reflecting vibrantly on his latest work – an extended playlist dubbed, Love… For Free.

Storytelling has always been at the core of Mayorkun’s elegant artistry, even before it became a trend in the Afrobeats scene. Mayorkun’s ability to bake dancefloor-friendly melodies with social commentary or personal reflections, as he did with his 2018 debut album, Mayor of Lagos, and his 2021 sophomore, Back In Office. On Love… For Free, the young musician creates a diary of romantic experiences that deeply reflects and regrets on failed or toxic relationships.
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After dominating the Afro-pop scene across several seasons, with songs like Eleko, Betty Butter, Of Lagos, Geng, Holy Father, Certified Loner, among others, Mayorkun’s hit-laden catalogue seems to have perfected one hack: diversity. Keeping his formulaic cheerfulness and wits in his lyricism, Mayorkun tows several routes with his sonics. From fast-paced UK Grime, to soothing Congolese Bongo Flava, down to the frenetic log drums of South African Amapiano, Mayorkun seems to swim brilliantly on every rhythm.

On Love… For Free, he navigates his self-recovery across Afro-pop and Amapiano terrains, with each track – from the Blxckie-assisted opener, Lose Control, to the closing track Lowkey! – carrying pockets of emotions that are carefully clothed in moody tempos. Its replay value brims on the soothing tracklisting and the sheer relatability of the themes that colour the record.

From finding inspiration in his bathroom to creating music with significant global crossover potential, Mayorkun’s sojourn finds its footing first in his love for the art. Catching up with Guardian Music, the former Davido Music Worldwide (DMW) right-back – now signed to Sony Music West Africa – delves into his artistic exploits; from his creative processes, to the inspirations behind his new EP, his penchant for exploring new sonic terrains such as his most-recent favourite, Makossa, and other parts of his artistry that truly reflect the mosaic of Lagos’ musical mayor.

Congratulations on your new project. How do you feel about it?
I feel very relieved to be honest. I have been working on different projects for a while now. For me to be able to release this and the reception has been awesome, I am really grateful.

Why did you drop this particular one?
I have different projects for different moods that I have been in since you all stopped hearing from me. But this was perfect, because this is my exact mood right now. This is my headspace right now.

What does the theme of Love…for free mean?
Honestly, it was just me navigating life and finding out that nobody actually loves for free. To me, I believe that this is fact from the experiences I have had. For people to have been saying that to me way before I found out myself means that there must be some truth to it. I found out that these guys have been right.
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You sounded very regretful on the record.
If I am being honest, I was recording while I was going through these experiences. I had a major fallout, for instance, with a friend and while we were falling out I was writing music. I was making music for myself. I was not even done with the experiences.

Which of the songs had the deepest experience for you?
Lowkey! I was going through a betrayal phase. It was not even in a romantic relationship. It was friendship. This is what I was explaining to people that I think friendship breakups are even harder to take than romantic breakups. My Energy is another song. It was a mix of friendship and romantic betrayal. On the second verse of the song I was talking about a girl. However, the hook of the song is just me not wanting bad vibes. I had to cut people off basically. I didn’t need anyone contaminating this good energy I have right now.

You featured the South African rapper, Blxckie, on Lose Control. Why that choice?
Lose Control was about a romantic breakup. I was completing an album in South Africa at that time. I was with Blxckie, Sho Madjozi, Moonchild Sanelly, and a lot of others. Blxckie chose to work on this song, because he could relate at that time to it. We had discussed it before we made the song. It was our headspace at that time so it blended so well.

You have a wide range. What influences your sound style?
I would like to think about myself as a virtuoso. I think I can make any kind of music. How I choose the one to go with at a particular time depends on my mood or personal vibe at the time. When I did ‘Geng’, I was listening to Grime records at that time, from Stormzy, to Giggs, and those other UK guys. I just felt like doing the song.
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Do you have a typical ambience you go for while making music?
I like to record ideas with people around. I like people being in the studio while I am recording my ideas. However, when it is time for me to do the actual take, I like to be with just a few people.

Do you write all your songs in the studio?
I don’t write in the studio all the time. I do write there 50 percent of the time. Sometimes, I write in my room.

Where is your favourite place to get ideas from?
This might sound crazy, but I get most of my ideas in the bathroom. The way my room is set-up, my studio is so close to my room. I literally take just five steps from my bathroom to my studio. So, most times when those things come, I just dab my face and go there to do one or two things.

What’s the most challenging session you have ever had?
I think The Best. I think it was more because there was pressure on me. At that time, myself and Fresh VDM had already made almost 13 songs that we sent out and none of those songs were used. When we were taking ‘The Best’ there, we were hoping that they would like it. Then, another song on my EP, Thermo. The day I was making that song I got on a weird call that just drifted my mind apart. While I was recording my verse, I was under some mad pressure from somewhere. I had three other verses already written before I chose the final one.

Who are some of the voices that influenced you in finding your sound?
I listened to a lot of Bob Marley and Lucky Dube. In the kind of place I lived there was someone downstairs blasting Lucky Dube. Then, my dad played a lot of Nigerian music too, like Saheed Osupa. I listened to Enya too. I listen to every type of music too. Everywhere I heard music, I listened.
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Presently, who are some people you have been listening to?
I have been exploring Afro-fusion. I make Afro fusion too, but you know that music has gone wide. I am trying to listen to a lot of Burna Boy, Rema, and all these cats too. For some reason, I like UK Grime too.

In the future, what other themes do you wish to navigate with your music?
I don’t know if you know this but my producer Fresh VDM is Togolese. We have been trying to make Makossa. I am talking about the Awilo type of Makossa. We have made three of those songs already, but we are just trying to settle for the one that would be a right fit.

What part of your artistry do you love the most?
For me, it is recording. Then, performance. Some people do not appreciate the recording process, because it might be technical and it might bore them out. However, that is where I have the most fun. If you could hear the amount of ways a song could have gone, you would enjoy the song more.
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Any interest in doing a live show in Nigeria soon?
I am planning to do something in December. It is going to be live music.

What gives you the most fulfilment right now in your career?’
What gives me joy in my career right now is the fact that people still love my music as if I just came out yesterday. It is like I am a new act. I have always felt like the generation I came in with is like a bridge from the Wiz Kid era to the Rema era. Now, it is time for us to still do more work.

If you could improve one thing in the Nigerian music scene, what would that be?
I would love to improve the show production sector. We are trying so much to get it right, but when people start seeing the value of their money they would pay for more shows. We do pay attention presently, but it is mostly when a big brand is involved, not that it is a standard now.

What’s next for you in your career?
I’m looking forward to more music releases, more show performances and more collaborations in this new chapter.
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