Lovn’s poetry is unmistakable in his recent breakout single, Sorry I’m Busy. The bard, recently unveiled as the latest addition to the Mavin Records roster, mixes hustle-focused optimism with airy pop melodies that signal his unique artistry as one to watch. 

“I realised early that if I didn’t own my sound, I would end up sounding like everyone else.” — Lovn

Born Akinloye Charles, Lovn has always had his heart set on music since childhood. With an eclectic pool of influences that includes Fela Kuti, King Sunny Ade, and Wande Coal, he honed his sound into a buttery blend of salsa, Afropop, and neo-Fuji. After competing in a 2019 talent audition titled Access The Stars, the young artist accelerated his sprint to stardom, independently releasing his debut EP, This Is Lovn, a project that firmly introduced him to the Afrobeats community in 2022.   

Fondly called the ‘Sound Bender’, Lovn captures his multifaceted personality as both fashion designer and singer into his visual imagery.

Catching up with Guardian Music, we hear from the fast-rising pop star on his unconventional come-up journey, getting discovered by Don Jazzy, his creative muses, balancing fashion and music, and more. 

When did you discover your love for music?
It was a talent I had for a long time, although I was focusing on my other talents at first until I got to SS3. Our new teacher was trying to figure out who the most talented in the class was, and everyone kept mentioning my name. Then, she asked if anyone could sing and I was among the people mentioned too.

There was another guy who could sing like a professional and was trying to intimidate me with his voice. We eventually became friends and that was when I started learning to sing. I still didn’t chase it seriously as a career then. When I entered university, the music department was close to mine and I started going there, teaching myself the guitar and piano at the same time.

Somehow, I lost my admission and left school, but by then I had already gained the basics of music. I went back to Ibadan and started attending competitions to win cash prizes for survival. I didn’t know people were going to notice me properly, but the more I sang, the more people took me seriously; so I just continued singing.

Why did you choose Lovn as your stage name?
There was a competition where I emerged as a runner-up in Ibadan. The main winner was a comedian. After the winners were announced, I and some other finalists were selected and some people wanted to sign us. That was my first exposure to record deals, and it made me realise I needed a stage name. 

My friend and I deliberated on a few choices, from Charles Oliver, Loving Charles, and so on. He eventually suggested Loving Charles. At the time, people used to call me Korede Bello, so it made sense to attach “loving” to my name. 

I checked online to see if there was any spelling like ‘Loven’. While researching, I found out that Charles also means “free man”, which aligned with the nature of love. I started calling myself ‘Loven Char’. When I went for another
competition, I discovered that people liked Loven better. When I wanted to upload music on Spotify, I discovered that there was another person with the name Loven. So I shortened it to Lovn. And since then, it’s been all good.

What inspired your breakout track, Sorry I’m Busy?
It was one of the last 20 songs I recorded when I was in the Mavin Records incubation camp. I had been at the studio working back-to-back with producers ever since the label reached out. Around that time, many of my friends were asking why I had become unavailable. That day, I went to the studio with Buzzbrain at Don Jazzy’s place. He played the beat, and I just started freestyling what I was going through at the time. They happened to like the song.

Who are some of the voices that influenced your style?
Honestly, when I was trying to hone my sound, I stopped listening to a lot of artists. Growing up as someone who was very talented, even before I started my earlier freestyles, I could easily mimic people. If I listened to an artist for too long, I figured I could start sounding like them. So, I had to shut myself off from listening to a lot of people for a long time.

While I was trying to find my own sound, I figured it was the sounds that I grew up with, especially all the Fuji music I heard on the radio and in movie soundtracks, that were among the things I was drawn to. So, Jazz music, Fuji music, and basically the indigenous classics that I grew up listening to.

Do you have a typical creative process?
My creative process is not stable. At one time, I had to play the guitar to write my songs. Later, I started using just my phone to record rhythms, and I explained the idea for the beat to the producer. It just kept evolving. I still write songs with the guitar. I still write songs with the piano, but now I can write a good song to any beat I am sent. It’s always just about creating good vibes for me.

How did you get discovered by Mavin Records?
I got discovered through my song covers. Every once in a while, I post a different type of song cover. So, during those last ones that I did in 2024, where I posted freestyles about everything happening to me, Don Jazzy randomly followed me back on Instagram. Then, the team reached out, and the rest is history.

Moving forward, what type of stories should we expect in your music?
The ‘Sound Bender’ movement is a gospel. First of all, the stories are even telling themselves. If you go through my social media comments, people understand that I’m actually trying to push the idea that you can actually do anything once you’ve set your mind to it. I’ve tried to be so professional with all this, my covers and all of that, and look at where I’ve gotten today. That’s the kind of story I’m trying to push. Even in the party songs, or the love songs and all of that in my project that’s coming next year, you would understand that there’s always this intentionality behind every song.

Who is Lovn when he’s not making music?
I’m still that fun guy; I’m still that joy giver. I’m still that fashion guy. I’m still that makeup artist guy when I’m not singing. I’m still just Charles, you know, a joy giver. I do make up for girls. I’m a fashion creative, I’m just everything fun, both in front of and behind the scenes.

What’s next for you?
Music is my life from now on. In 2026, the project is coming out, and we’re already planning for its rollout. So there’s a whole lot that is about to happen around the music. It’s just to get it to a global level. People are already doing it. The legends are already doing it. My own part is to make it better, or take it farther than they’ve taken it.

Finally, what is the vision for Lovn?
The vision for Lovn is clear. I want the Sound Bender brand to be one of the biggest brands that ever existed in the music industry. I want to deepen the culture with my music. I want to really infuse it into the sound and take it global. We can actually make our indigenous sound globally competitive. And that is the vision. There are a lot of legends doing that with all their brands and stuff. Our own is to think of new tactics and strategies to take the culture further.