When Tar1q (Tah-reek) stepped into the music scene, last year, all ears paid attention. His alluring vocalization and breezy poetic lyricism turned his debut record ‘Son of the Moon’ into a country-wide fan favourite. Newly signed to Chocolate City Music, the 22-year-old Geology student has harvested more music gems than most other newcomers in the newest class of Afrobeats mavericks.

Born Tariq Olokun, the young singer has also earned his stripes among vocalists to watch out for in today’s Afrobeats. His just-released sophomore record, ‘All I Felt’ showcases his maturation in his musicianship, marking a milestone in his career evolution. In a riveting chat with Guardian Music, the musician unpacks the layers of emotion that inspire his music, his earliest music influences, as well as juggling music with Geology.

Congratulations again on your new drop. How does it feel for you?
Yeah, thanks. It’s been really good. It’s been fantastic.

Talk to us about your song, All I Felt. That’s an interesting title. First of all, why that title?
I think for ‘All I Felt,’ one of the reasons I decided to call it All I Felt was because I wanted to just make something and create something that represents how I feel, literally. Something that would actually explain certain feelings and emotions and All I Felt, is just that. I think growing from who I was to who I am now, I tend to understand myself better and understand people better than last time. So, as I move forward, I just tend to write about it. That’s literally what I do with my music. You know, every project that I drop is just a new story about what I’ve heard or what I’ve sensed about new relationships that I’ve been with people and also understanding and finding myself. That’s just what my music is all about. It’s like a growth phase. Like who I am now, what I feel now and how I react to certain things in this whole long journey of finding myself.

That’s cool. Speaking on some of the other songs. We have Near, In My Feelings and Kupe. Put us through the inspirations behind those songs.

For Kupe, to be honest, I really wanted to just create something like a victory lap for my guys, my brothers and everyone I know. I have a lot of friends and family members. And even outside me, I know a lot of people that are working so hard to make some things work out and I just want to make something that when it finally works out, they have that song to go to and just understand that look, whatever we are worried about, it would all come out good. I just really wanted to do something for a victory lap.

What about Near and In my Feelings?
So, for Feelings, it’s a song about genuine love that oversees the flaws of the other person. You know, the kind of people that put you in your feelings, those kinds of people, you will always just overlook it. It could be your babe, girlfriend, mum. Like, they can get you so mad, but definitely you will overlook it. Their flaws is nothing compared to the amount of love you have for them, so, definitely you will not start over, nor are you going to share them with anybody. So, that’s just the point of the idea of what I felt so far, you know, for the past 11 months. Then for Near, it’s just a song I made to someone who really wanted me to be close to her and I’ve been around the world since last year. She just said a particular line on the phone and I just thought I could pick it to make something from it.

I want to get clarity on the new record deal. It’s like you moved, What’s up with that?
Yeah. Moving to Chocolate City, I think is about to happen. I’m at the closing stages of my relationship with Nu Tribe in terms of artiste development. And I’ve learned so much from them and I just can’t wait to get ready for the big thing.

What’s the most interesting part of your artistry right now? What excites you most about being a musician?
I’m so excited for who I’m going to be. Evolution is crazy. I’m not only nervous, there’s a bad nervous thing too. There are different steps that you can take and it could go south. And there are different steps that you can take and it could go beautifully. Honestly, I want it to go beautifully for me. It’s exciting.

What part of the job excites you the most right now?
I love performing. I used to think it was creating the song, until the feeling from creating something in your private space, and then singing out to people and seeing all of them connect to it. It hits me. And then when that hits me, I know that I’m one for the road. I love touring. I didn’t know touring was something I would welcome with open arms. So, yeah, performing. Live performance, stage performances.

Do you have core memories from top performances this year that you would like to talk about?
I had one yesterday in school, University of Lagos and it felt like homecoming. It was amazing. There was so much love from there. I haven’t had a lot of good moments in school, to be very honest. So, that was one thing that made me agree to perform at the university.

How are you juggling school and the business right now?
There is no juggling. It’s just trying to do your best in both. There is no balancing, there is nothing like that. It’s false. Maybe it’s because of what I studied- it’s false. I’m just trying to do my best to complete them because I love school. But every single now and then, I just want to write what is in my head. I have things that I want to speak about. I have stories that I want to tell. I want to make people happy with my music. I want to make people feel like they understand something ot somebody understands them. And they can relate to it because that is what I get the most from my music. And it’s joy because that’s what I have always wanted. To make people understand that look, whatever you felt, I felt it too. Just make people feel like they can relate to things. I just want to do that, and a part of me also wants to go to college. You know, my dad really wants me to finish school and I am trying my best to make sure I make him proud, as well as make myself happy.

So, right now, what is the next chapter of your career looking like?
How do I tell you, I’m actually in the studio right now. I was recording when I found out that the meeting was today. I had songs ready, not really ready. I just had plans for a bit of promotional tour in Europe and also United States. I’m also having my first show. My first ever Tar1q Rocket Fest. I’m working on seeing how that can happen soon. I’m sure it’s going to happen soon. I’m not going to rush it. And I’m as well, including myself, excited to see who I evolve to, who I finally become, you know.