There is a sense of unshakeable belief when Paul Wae talks about his journey and the heights he’s still reaching for.

“Everything happens for a reason,” he said over a Zoom chat last week on the release day of his debut project, Diffusion. “We walk along life’s path for different reasons, so we pick up things along the way.

Paul Wae, born Paul Mogbolu, has come a long way since launching his career as a contestant on the third season of the widely-viewed singing competition, The Voice Nigeria, where he captured the audience’s imagination with his powerful vocal performances and poise, Paul Wae has kept ascending. Songs like “E Don Do” and “Providence” have proved his talent and knack for melodies and songwriting.

His new project, Diffusion, according to the singer is a crystallization of all the promise he’s shown since he lasered his way to public attention. “For me, it’s the birth of something new. The title, Diffusion, is a combination of different things, and different feelings. It’s in the air and it’s just breeding different feelings and emotions. It’s my story, so it’s something that I’m proud of,” he says.

“For lack of a better word, I’d say the whole idea is just telling a story from my point of view. Everything on the project is from a real place. The stories from “Bless Me” to “Peace” to “Chooku Chooku” to “Nikita” to “Happy Myself” to “Adura.” Everything is from a true place. It’s my story.”

Putting the project together was a long process that taught the singer more about himself than he realised. “It took us over a year,” he admits. “Approximately a year and two months. So, the project has been actually ready since March, but we needed to fine-tune some details because, for me, I love to be in the zone. By that, I mean, it has to appeal to me because I consider it a product. I have to first enjoy it before I put it out, and if I have good feelings about it, I could say to myself that other people feel the same way about it. We were just fine-tuning some details and stuff, but the project has been ready since March technically. We were just working and trying to do some other things to make sure that we have a good release.”

Coming from a banking background has helped Paul maintain perspective and influence how he approaches his music. “ Corporate life really helped me, and for me, it also shaped my person,” he says. “For example, if I have a meeting, I’m going to show up early. That’s what it did for me. Getting all of these small details, these small things you pick up here and there, how I write because you have to speak intelligently. You have to be able to convince people. You have to go to board meetings and convince people that you are doing the right thing and you know exactly what you are doing. So, yes, it played a very big role in the way that I write and the way that I approach music.”

With Diffusion now out in the world, Paul is eager for his listeners to get acquainted with his music and what he’s saying in those songs. “I want them to absorb everything,” he says. “Every word on this project is intentional. I want them to listen with an open mind, and not think that it’s some mid artiste. I’m not a mid-artiste. I’ve been here a while. I don’t like to be considered as an upcoming artist. I’m an artist. I’m trying to solidify my presence, solidify my art. I want them to listen the same way they listen to a Burna, the same way they listen to a Wiz, the same way they listen to an Omah Lay. Put me on that pedestal. I’m not trying to shoot too much. I understand that this is my first project, but I want them to be receptive to the project because it’s a good project. It’s a no-skip project.

That’s how I want them to approach it.”