Singer Yushau Adozuka, popularly known as Gbono, has poured his heart out in his latest Extended Play (EP) titled, Maybe a Little Longer, a five-track project that reflects on his life experiences—from loss to growth.
According to the Okene-born Afrobeats artiste, the EP traces his personal and professional evolution across nearly two decades of hustle, heartbreak, and hard-earned growth. He stated music has never been just a creative outlet, but a lifeline.
Gbono’s earliest musical influences were homegrown, drawn from Fuji and Juju tapes his mother played in the mornings, and the hip-hop classics his uncle introduced him to. His style is rooted in Afrobeats and Afro-fusion, blending his Nigerian heritage with global influences.
“I can rap, sing, and produce music across genres, from hip-hop and R&B to reggae, but I chose Afrobeats and Afro-fusion because they give me the widest playground for expression,” he said.
“Afrobeats lets me bring all those influences together while staying rooted in my identity as a Nigerian artiste. I can sing in English, Yoruba, or patois, I can harmonise, rap, or chant and it still feels cohesive, still feels like home,” Gbono added.
He began recording in Zaria as far back as 2005, releasing a few early projects under the name Big Brains. But it wasn’t until he moved to Lagos in 2011 that his career gained direction. A few singles and an unreleased mixtape followed.
The death of his mother in 2012 was a turning point, as he said: “Losing my mom was depressing, but it made me a fighter. I have always been a hustler; now I’m gunning for something greater: her legacy and mine,” the singer shared as he is now driven to honor her legacy.
As part of his rebrand, he formally dropped the ‘Big Brains’ moniker and embraced a name that had long followed him, Gbono. Alongside the name change, he launched his own label—Headline Music, aiming to support independent artistes.
Explaining the effect of his loss, he said, “Each song on the EP reflects a chapter in that journey. “6,6 is a moment of stillness and hanging on before the story starts. Far & Wide explores faith and how far I have come.
“Nigerian is both a cry and a challenge, social commentary that asks us to do better. Mezebu is coded intimacy, while Tonight is a sigh of relief, the kind you exhale after a long, grinding week,” the singer enthused.
He continued, “It’s not just a collection of songs; it’s a lived-in playlist of who I have been, and who I’m becoming. The track Nigerian was written in a moment of desperation. I wrote the song on a bus stuck in traffic, broke, and technically homeless
“I was squatting with friends, job-hunting, trying to survive. It wasn’t written in a studio with lights and vibe. It was survival. That’s what the song captures. Not just pain, but the weight of being ‘Nigerian’ what it takes to keep hoping, even when everything around you feels broken.”
According to him, Mezebu emerged in a burst of ease and clarity. “That one lived in my notes for years. I had the hook for maybe four years, just sitting there. When we started finalising the EP, the project felt intense; there was a lot of emotion, a lot of weight.
“We wanted something softer, a little lighter, without losing truth. So we made Mezebu in about 15 minutes, quick, honest. Then we tested it on TikTok before the release, and boom people started using the sound immediately. We didn’t force it; it just connected,” Gbono stated.
