When it comes to indigenous pop and Hip Hop music in Nigeria, 24-year-old Candybleakz has proven to be a diamond in the rough. Since her fated breakout in 2019 with the viral street anthem, Owo Osu, the Chocolate City maverick has continued to soar as a beacon of hope for street music in the Afrobeats scene.
Since her 2022 debut EP, dubbed Fire, which featured the viral street pop anthem, Tikuku, among others, Candybleakz has sprung from the teenage rapper scouring the unforgiving streets of Lagos for a record deal, to a respected hitmaker giving the streets its flowers. And in her just-released sophomore, Better Days, the singer-rapper plants a garden of inspiration with melodies tightly packed with the grassroot in mind.
Across the eight-track record, Candybleakz rehashes the gingerly pop hooks that have earned her accolades since her breakout. On lead records like, ‘Debe’, ‘Wale Remix’, ‘Para’, and the fusion-focused ‘Celepiano’, she sounds defiant, gliding through with soulful lyricism. Tapping industry mavericks like Bloody Civilian, Simi, Bella Shmurda, and Bloody Civilian, Candybleakz spins the record into a soothing listen, with each voice echoing the soothing feel of the EP.
With Candybleakz, it’s always as real as it gets. The young superstar, born Blessing Akiode, bloomed through the thorns clinging tightly to her under-funded dreams for several years. Before her breakthrough knocked on her door, she’d mastered the art of being confident in her skill. Adopting the moniker ‘Ladies Dragon’, the fiery-hearted musician continues to inspire coming generations of women who want to sing and rap their way to stardom in the comfort of their mother tongue.
Catching up with Guardian Music, the acclaimed musician opens the doors into her sonicverse, delving deeper into the muses behind her creative process; her fealty to street-pop music and its higher hurdles for women; and how she’s steadying her course towards being Afrobeats’ King of Boys.
How do you feel about your new project, Better Days?
I FEEL very excited. I feel this way because this project is the other side of Candybleakz that people don’t see. When I say Better Days, it is like a feeling of hope, knowing that you know you are not yet at the place you want to be, but you are staying on course. Sometimes you are happy, sometimes you are sad. But, at the same time, you are grateful and confident. So, this is just for every hustler in the streets, telling them to keep on going. Better days are ahead as long as you believe in yourself. I turned my pain into melodies and I feel excited to be able to speak to the streets.
When did you decide to make this project about better days?
It was how I was feeling at that moment. You know, I wasn’t happy and I wasn’t sad. And just, you know, I’m not where I used to be. And I’m not even where I want to be. So yeah, it’s a mixed feeling. You know, I’m grateful to God for bringing me up. And at the same time, I’m still accepting that oh, I want to go higher. So it’s more of my feeling you know better this Phuntsok one to the last track is more of our I was feeling very much relatable, you know, and I think basically with my songs these days, I just make music based on my emotion and I try to, you know when to enjoy music, think about the audience and make sure that is what they can relate to, you know, yeah.
Tell us about your choice of features in the project?
I started with featuring another artiste on Debe. I recorded the song at Bankulli’s studio and he told me about her. I later went to London to shoot a music video for the song. However, on getting to London we couldn’t shoot the video. I reached out to her team, but we couldn’t shoot, despite the fact that I came all the way from Nigeria. We were having too many back and forth with her team. We were having a really hard time with her manager. The stress was just too much. So, I spoke to my management to take her off and we put Bloody Civilian. I’m a big fan of Bloody Civilian. Since I started listening to her music, I have loved her. I learned her lyrics the same day she sent it. That’s how we came up with the song. I don’t even regret it. The song with Bella Shmurda and Vector, I played that song when I visited Bella and everyone felt it.
Vector told Bella that he wanted to give me a verse. I was really glad: Shoutout to Bella Shmurda for coming through. For Party Hard with DTG, I sent it to some of my guys in the Netherlands. I wanted them to touch the production. The guy encouraged me to put the British rapper DTG on the song. So, he sent the song to DTG and DTG loved it. He even gave us two verses to pick from. It was zero stress with him. The song with Simi, I always tell her that I want her angelic voice on my song. I kept texting her about it and she promised to make the song when she was not distracted. One day, she reached out to me and sent it to me on WhatsApp and she sent me the verse. I didn’t even pay her for the feature. She did it for free. Big shoutout to Simi.
How did you make the Celepiano fusion?
I was in the studio and I told my producer that I wanted something different. I asked him if he knew how to play Gon Gon (local drum) and he said yes. So, I told him to open his beat making software and I started clapping. Then I told him to do the same and it was like the Cele church clapping style. Afterwards, I suggested that he infused Amapiano into that and we did. The guy is really an amazing producer. The whole idea was me doing a church-themed song, because I also attend white garment church. After we made the song, I knew I wanted it to be called Celepiano. I sent the song again to Rexxie to add some additional touches to what the first producer, Pelz, did.
How is the street pop terrain like, especially being a woman?
I am a lover of good music. When I see an amazing artist and I feel like I hear your sound in my project, I reach out to you. I am the kind of artist that will keep disturbing you until you give me a verse. Even if I believe in us working together, but I feel like you don’t believe in my craft or you don’t want to make music, I don’t force it too much. I have been trying to do something new. I’ve made music with a couple of female artists recently. The guys are chilled too, but I have to work 10 times harder. I’m talking about street orientation. I have to work 10 times harder. I’m talking about street orientation. I’m a girl and I’m trying to tell people to look up to me that I am the female king. I am the king of boys and I have that street credibility. So, it means I have to work 20 times harder to let them know that I deserve to orient them and that I deserve to be in charge. The love from the streets has been truly massive. They see my consistency and it’s clear that I am cut out for this.
Where do you draw inspiration from mostly?
These days I make the best music when I’m not in a good mood. I’m a happy person, you know, but for each time I feel sad I just go into the studio and I make the best music. So, I don’t have to even leave my environment.
Why do people call you Ladies Dragon?
People love to call me Ladies Dragon. They feel like I spit out fire, like a dragon; because I have so much energy. For the dragon name, I remember that during a conversation someone referenced my energy. The person was like, ‘Yo! This energy’s too much. You dey do like Dragon.’ And I just liked the name instantly and I took it. It is still a King of Boys and King of Girls situation because I protect the hood too.
There’s a huge influence of fuji music on street pop. How does it influence your style?
Growing up, I listened to strictly Fuji. My Dad loved Haruna Ishola so much. When I moved to stay with my mum and step-dad, they listened to Saheed Osupa. I learned most of their songs. These days they still give the street credibility. They still give us orientation, you know. It could be just one or two words from them, I grew up listening to those people and their music is filled with wisdom. Sometimes, I just want to listen to them and see what they’re talking about. It is not like I sample their music everytime I listen to them, but I take proverbs from their music.
Do you plan on making any Fuji-fused song?
Yeah, there was this particular song called Logo Logo. It’s meant to be Fuji Hip Hop but it doesn’t fit with the storytelling for this project. I hope it is going to make it to my next project. I’m sure it would. I tried to do the Fuji thing. You know, and that was truly inspired by Saheed Osupa.
What is the vision for your music?
I feel like every one of my music will always have an impact. We are all outside hustling for money. It’s relatable. There was a particular day that I was at a friend’s house and my song came on. That friend of mine, his mother had been calling him to ask for money. But you know, him waking up and just listening to my song ‘Wale Remix’, it motivated him to send money to his mum. He sent the money to her. I was so happy that day, because I am sure that many other people would be inspired by the music too. So, my songs influence everybody positively, you know, and I want it to keep doing that.
What’s next for Candybleakz?
Yes, definitely. I’m shooting videos, you know, for the songs and I’m going to be shooting the official video for the song I’m pushing as the lead song for the project. We’re going to be on the road. A new Candybleakz has been unlocked. We are doing shows. We are going to be doing some tours.
