I Want My Music To Be A Drug That People Take To Smile – King Perryy

“Everytime I am in the studio, I see the microphone as my best friend,” he says, pausing momentarily as if he was reflecting on a related core memory.

There are tons of musicians like Anthony Offiah, the radical 28-year-old whose discography has successfully put Dancehall/Reggae back on the Nigerian radar, in recent years. However, there are only few who are as experimental as Offiah, professionally known as King Perryy.

Self-acclaimed as a citizen of the world, the young maverick is one of the most recent breakout acts from the Garden city, Port Harcourt, stretching the legacy of the habitat as the gift that keeps on giving. After his 2018 breakout single dubbed, Man on Duty, and his string of successful solos including Work n Grind, as well as the Teni-assisted Murder, King Perryy tore through the veils of the underground community, ascending to a much-deserved prominence.

Three years later, his debut album, Citizen of the World, spotlighted him further, gaining critical acclaim and widespread listens with hits such as the Timaya-assisted Get The Money, the Psycho YP duet on YKTV, and the Oxlade-laced banger Let Me Love, among others. Last year, his record with the British-Congolese rapper Backroad Gee and Street-pop royalty Bella Shmurda titled, Go German, was another springboard moment for King Perryy, dominating TikTok for months and amassing a myriad of cover freestyles. 

Now, for his first album as an independent artiste – following his recent exit from Timaya’s Dem Mama Records, upon expiration of his four-year contract – under the aegis of his own label, Continental Records, King Perry returns with a vibrant 7-tracker album titled, Continental Playlist. With collaborations from other ace acts such as Tekno, 1da Banton, Victony and Ria Sean, Perryy delves deeper into his experimental side, fusing diverse sounds including Afro-pop, Dancehall, Reggae, RnB, among others. On the project, he shines brightly for his relatable lyricism and harmonious blend of melodies. Hacking the balance between impactful, aspirational and feel-good music, Perryy’s template for Afro-fusion continues to be a wonder point for onlookers. 

Catching up with Guardian Music, the young musician shares backstories into the creation of the album, the philosophy behind ‘continental music’, as well as quitting the seminary to share his gospel of Afro-fusion with the world. 

How do you feel about this project being out right now?
I feel great and excited; I have been looking forward to this day. I have been working on this record for about two years now. Some songs there were made last year, while some songs were made in 2020.

What is the whole ‘Continental Playlist’ concept about?
It is a fusion of different genres, through lifestyle and culture. The Continental Boy carefully curates the project, which is me. This is I just showing to my fans how much I could do with my sound.

So, let’s take it back to how you got into the music, how did it start for you? 
I started music from school. While growing up, I had always been around music. I went to the Seminary school, and I always found myself pushing the whole narrative. I started producing music, and I was surrounding myself around the whole music thing even while I was in the seminary. I was in the choir during the years I spent there. I did music up to six times a day in church.

Music became very important for me, in 2018, when I signed to Dem Mama Records. Before then, I had been releasing a couple of songs on my own on SoundCloud and Audiomack. I was answering Perry Boy in school. However, the moment I found myself and my sound, I knew that I was going to champion that sound. So, I gave myself the name King Perry.

How exactly did you hone the sound?
I was born in Port Harcourt. Reggae/Dancehall is a solid genre that we listen to in Port Harcourt; the sound is very strong out there. I just found love for the sound. I started as a rapper. After constant work in the studio, I got closer. I was working constantly, finding my own sound.

I know that as a rapper, there was a day I was freestyling with my friend and he also rapped too, but he did it so good that I got thinking. I decided that if I could not do it better than him, then I had to find out what I could do and be the king of. That’s how I started working on my sound, and I grew into the King Perry that I am today.

Take us through the stories you tried to tell on the project. 
The Continental Playlist has a lot of emotions in it; my music is what feelings sound like. From On God being a song about gratitude to God, because the Continental Playlist is my first album as an artiste. I also have my own label called Continental Records; I am now a businessperson. So, I am thankful for the growth.

Then, a song like No Stress is basically reflecting who I am today. I don’t like stress; I make it known that I do not like stress. Every word I said in that song is straight from the heart. I like to sleep free. On Flamingo, first of all, big shoutout to Ria Sean. Ria Sean is amazing and she has a beautiful voice. We made two records in one night, and Flamingo is one of them. If you listen to it, you will see colours. It is that kind of record.

Oh No is basically talking about the gold diggers. Tight Condition literally explains itself from the title. Big shout out to Victony who worked with me on it. Myself and Victony graduated from the same university, in Owerri.

Turkey Nla has a remix with Tekno. I was in South Africa when I made that song. I love fusing; the song is Amapiano mixed with Makossa. Big shout out to Smeez and D3an. The song is celebrating thick women. The last song on the project is Denge. It is a very dancehall record; it is the new school dancehall.

Big shout out to 1da Banton for making the beat and being on the song. The most important thing for me is making a project that is relatable to the masses.

There is literally a song for everyone to connect with.

As an artiste, what would you say is your biggest strength?
My biggest strength is the fusion of sounds. I love to experiment; I feel like a scientist when I am in the studio. I do not even write; I express myself. Every time I am in the studio, I see the microphone as my best friend. I literally say what I cannot say to any other person to the microphone. My biggest strength is me fusing.

Speaking of collaborations, who are some of the artistes you hope to work with soon?
If you had asked me this question two years ago, I would be calling names right now. However, right now, I am not just looking for collaboration with an artiste; I am looking for synergy with them. I am more about connecting personally with them, before creating music with them.

Whenever I have a connection with an artiste before we make music, we end up making a very strong classic. Check out my collaborations with Teni, Timaya, 1da Banton, and some others. All of these collaborations were born after I had connected with them, and we had conversations on what our goals are and how we intended to create.

There are so many great artistes out there that I want to make music with. However, I do not know if I can connect with them. I would rather work on meeting up with people that I love. I love Burna Boy. I would love to be in the studio with Chronixx, Jorja Smith, and so many other amazing people.

Finally, what is next for King Perry?
I want to take my music to the main stage; I want to travel the world with my music. I want to put smiles on people’s faces. I want my music to be a drug, literally, that people take to smile. I just want to release more music. I want to pay attention to the artsy side of my music.

I would also be doing a lot of fashion this year. I also want to invest; I love investments. I have one right now with Artsplit. It’s a music-based investment that helps you sort of buy stocks in an artiste’s music. There is so much I want to do this year. With God, I would do all of them.