Fast-rising Nigerian pop maverick, Ichaba, has stepped out with his long-awaited debut, Late Entry, which culminates his paced seven-year ascent in the Afrobeats scene. In the five-tracker extended play, Ichaba, born Mayowa Olusanya, makes a bold introduction to his larger-than-life pop gospels.
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With a guest appearance from street-pop icon Barry Jhay, Ichaba paints a picture of his life, from the rigours of daily struggle in “Life of Pablo”, to finding solace in hedonism on “Aye”, and requesting assurance from his lover on “What!”, colouring the records with enough log drums and crowd vocals for a pop masterpiece.

“Late Entry is inspired by my life’s experiences, many of which I faced during my come-up. I needed to find an outlet to be vulnerable with myself, and to heal from these relationships, personal struggles and generally rediscover myself,” he said.

After being co-signed and mentored by DMW honcho Davido, the young musician has continued pushing his solo career with his catchy street-pop hooks and rich storytelling. His Late Entry sojourn began a couple of weeks ago with “By My Side”, the 3-way collab with rap mavericks Dremo and Vector. On Late Entry Ichaba bares his most reflective and musically mature version of his act. The EP thrives for its relatability and replay value.

“My vision is to be free with myself and my art (and) to share it with the world,” he says, “I’m coming back with more music soon, but my future catalogue is going to be more immersive with my life’s experiences and just general outlook.”
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