It’s a new dawn for Afrobeats debutant, Daso

The distinct glitter in Daso’s artistry has always been his euphemism.

A champion of the good life, Daso is a young and vibrant pop singer who’s been making a race towards the Afrobeats spotlight from New York to Lagos. Raised both in Nigeria and the United States, DaSo’s hallmark in the music scene is taking shape with two feel-good party bops, the first dubbed, “Jara”, which dropped in February, and its follow-up “Lekki”, which came out in August. These two songs have already earned him at least 200,000 song plays, pointing to the song’s towering replay value.

Across “Lekki”, Daso’s latest release, he continues in the rhythm of his odyssey, spinning off from childhood church choirs and stage plays, to laying the foundation of his singing career with an ode to the city that birthed his dreams and is also nestling them now: Lagos. Having listened to the likes of Lagbaja, Lauryn Hill, Wande Coal, Michael Jackson, among others, Daso’s built a unique harmony for himself, often in concord with the demands of his positive hedonism.

In this chat with Guardian, the young bard opens up on his iconic debut within the Afrobeats scene, reminiscing on his come-up, while highlighting his muses, experiences, as well as hope for the next chapter of his career.

Tell us about your name
It really is a combination of my first and last name. So, I just took the first two letters of my first name and I came up with DaSo (pronounced Day Show). But it took me a long time to come up with names, because I was thinking of different names at first. I wanted to do something that’s authentic and real to me. I’ve gotten a lot of good receptions to my present name. A lot of people like the name as well.

Tell us about your newest record.
The record I just dropped is called, “Lekki”. It is the second song I ever released. And the funny thing about that record is that I made it the same week I made my first song “Jara”, which I dropped in February. I was just trying to talk about the phase of life I was in because I just recently moved back. I just finished college and I was becoming my own person. I just wanted to express that on this record. Even before I made the song, I already had the hook a cappella.

What’s your favorite thing about moving back and living in Lagos?
Lagos is lively and full of creative and ambitious people. There’s a real energy here—a real hustle and bustle that captures the go-getter spirit perfectly. I feel more focused and confident in myself and my abilities, and I’m ready to put in the work.

How has your multicultural upbringing in Lagos and the US shaped your music style?
Nigerian culture is so vibrant and rich. Drawing inspiration is easy because there are many sources and I believe that I owe it to all those sources to preserve our culture through music. The time I spent living in the US also exposed me to unique sounds and genres. All of these fuse together for me to make music that’s truly special and straight from the heart.

How important is creating feel-good music in today’s world, and what does it mean to you personally?
Life is challenging in many ways and I think being able to smile and pick yourself up in tough situations is important. Finding moments of joy in the chaos makes life a little better and I want my music to do that for as many people in the world as possible.

How did you come up?
My whole life, I’ve always loved music. As a Nigerian, growing up, I remember watching music videos a lot. Then, when I was in school, I did choir and a bit of acting. When I went to university in New York, I was very surrounded by people in the music industry. My friends were producers, DJs, videographers, whatever, and then I was able to create a song. I just loved the project and the potential that I could have had in this scene. And then when I came to Nigeria, I just knew that I wanted to make Afrobeats music.

What’s next for you?
I still want to keep releasing new music. Right now, I am just enjoying the journey and trying to push the songs I have right now. I am trying to increase my reach. I’m just trying to continue to release music that will end up leading up to a full project, and also put myself out there. I want to let people know who I am, interact with my personality, and hopefully engage with that. In Nigeria, things can be tough, especially with trying to get guys to do things on a certain schedule.

Who among the Afrobeats scene are you looking forward to making a duet with?
I want to work with the producer, London. I want to work with P. Prime, Louda. I feel like a lot of producers are killing it in the game right now, with the sounds that are coming out. And I feel like working with different producers also brings out a different side of viewing music and the sound. Among artists, I really want to work with Asake. He’s killing it in the game right now, and I feel like our sounds would just make so much sense together. I also want to work with Simi. I feel like I have a great concept of a song that I would love to do Simi one day. When I used to binge watch music videos, I used to watch Simi’s music videos a lot. I was able to tell her music through those videos.

What can listeners expect from your upcoming EP?
Beautiful music that makes you feel good. Right now in my journey, that’s my focus. I want to put out music that brings fun and good vibes into people’s lives.

Finally, what’s the vision for your career?
Now, to try and take it step by step, you know. I don’t want to put too much expectation on the future, but I love the progress I’m making. You know, I feel like my potential could do a lot. I feel like my music could travel, not just past Nigeria, but on an international scale. I’m excited for the future, to make my music and grow my community. I’m just taking it one step at a time, but like I said I’ve just been in love with the journey and I am just trying to improve.