Major AJ… Retro Vibes From Newest Choc Boy 

Circling around town in a saloon car, his mind drifted far away from the flurry of cars that fleeted past him. As our eyes met mine over the virtual chat, one could see the glint of excitement in his eyes; it was the usual thrill with emerging stars excited by the adventures of their come-up. And for Major AJ, the latest Chocolate City signee, this journey up the ladder of fame has been a long time coming. 

Born Boluwatife Vincent Ajogwu, Major AJ is one of the most vibrant of voices veering into the Nigerian music scene, especially at this time when the industry is tilting towards an RnB/Pop monotony. His music style, an eclectic blend of Electronic Funk, Pop and RnB, takes listeners back to the golden era of the ‘80s, when the Steve Monites, Fela Kuti, and William Onyeabors of this world flourished with their distinct sounds of escapism.

With his debut EP dubbed, Retroverse, making the rounds, Major AJ has begun building a cult following, and is poised to become a leading sound of his generation. From having to save for six months to afford his first recording, to choosing a name that honours his late father, the 24-year-old musician shares his intricately intentional and interesting journey, including the backstories behind his love and life themed EP, as well as his plans for the future, in this heartfelt conversation with Guardian Music. 

How do you feel about everything?
I feel grateful and blessed. As a creative, when you work on a project for a while, you want to get to a point where you want to share it with the world. That is how music is. I feel really thankful that my music is finally out there. The feedback has been amazing.

You titled the EP Retroverse, what does it mean?
The Retroverse is an alternate dimension for Afrobeats; it is just a world I coined in my creative space. It is an alternate version of Afrobeats, with a lot of funk, disco and retro-inspired elements.

From the production, to the delivery, some songs on the project lean towards the retro side. Some other songs lean towards the Afro side, such as Afrodisco. The Retroverse is just an alternate dimension of Afrobeats in my head, with my own kind of spice to it.

Why this sound direction? 
Basically, the most important thing is the music; it is what got me into this. I didn’t decide to be an artiste, because I was hungry; there were other solutions to not being hungry. I decided to be an artiste, because I really love music. I want to make amazing music for people to listen to and love.

Basically, after I got signed into Chocolate City, we were just working and going to the studio everyday. I am very versatile. I tend to experiment and play with sounds a lot. I am never scared to try out new things. I feel like you need to find your own way to express your creativity. I want you to listen to me and know that I left a mark on you.

There are so many artistes doing good music, so I want my own music to be an experience for you. The music itself led us here. The first song I recorded was Afrodisco, and everything just aligned as it is meant to be. I didn’t decide to start experimenting, but the music led us here. This is the Retroverse era for me. After this, I am going to another era.

When did all of this begin for you? 
So, I actually grew up in Kainji, Niger State. There were little to no resources to do music – no studios, nothing! I had always gone with my mum and aunt to choir practice in Church. I started getting fascinated by musical instruments. I learned how to play the drums and Piano. I started singing in Church actually. As time went by, I realised that it was what I loved.

As a kid, music was fun. I had friends who were dedicated to playing football and running around the school. For me, it was music. When I came to school, I was thinking about writing lyrics of people’s songs and memorising lyrics. So, everything started as freestyle; my friend and myself used to rap and do freestyles. We had a group, but there was a day I just knew that music was the calling.

If you listen to the song, Superstar, I said that I saw a vision of me on stage performing and people were singing along. It was like a spiritual thing. I started the journey and God has just been aligning it. I am just happy that I am getting to do what I love as a profession.

How were you able to fund your earlier recordings? What was the family support like?
Yo, it was crazy! The first song I ever recorded in my life cost N3000 for the recording session. I had to save for it for like six months. I used to get a N50 allowance to school daily then. So, I tried to save N20 daily.

The song was a cover to Djinee’s Over Killin It. It was the first song I did in the studio.

My family was not having it at all. They liked music, but when I started saying I wanted to do it for a living, they were not smiling; my mum kept emphasising on school. At the end of the day, everything just justified the means. My mum is a big fan right now. I just got off the call with her, before this interview. She was just calling me to ask how everything is going.

How did you come up with the name Major AJ?
When I started my career, I had so many names; I had a lot of corny names. At the end of the day, I just wanted a name that meant something to me that I could connect with. One person that means so much to me in the world is my Dad. He was in the military; he was a Major. I lost him when I was very young. I wanted a name that connected to him. Everyone called him Major Ajogwu. So, I just coined the name Major AJ from there, just to kind of always take him along in the journey. AJ is for my Dad, basically.

You worked closely with mostly Dunnie as the producer. How was it like working with her? 
The experience was so nice; she is an amazing producer. Shout out to Steph as well too; he is the only other producer I worked with, he produced Omnirascal. I moved to Lagos fully, in 2020. Luckily, I met Telz and through him I met Steph. And we all started working.

With Dunnie, I did a recording camp in March. I had been listening to her previous work on Ria Sean’s projects; I just really wanted her to work. On the last day of the recording camp, the connection was so good. I feel so good creating music with her. She is very good at what she does. We just kept making music.

Tell us about the stories behind some songs on the EP.
Every single song is a different experience. With Afrodisco, it was when Dunnie told me that she had made a beat before coming to my recording camp. She just felt like she should play me that beat. When she played it, I was in a romantic headspace. There was a girl I really liked, but we had fallouts. It was a very different feeling; I was just vibing to the beat and the sound just came from within.

With Taboo, she played another beat and the hook just came instantly. I do a lot of deep thinking normally, and talk to people. Even when I am outside the studio, I am always thinking about life experiences. So, whenever I am freestyling, those thoughts come out. Each beat evokes different emotions; Taboo came with its own upbeat emotion. Everybody just felt the song. So, I just really thought about a certain time in life. I have had a lot of emotional experiences. So, I tend to sing off those experiences. Taboo was just about singing about a woman that was a seductress but was bad for me. Then, on the same day, I heard another beat for Mr Lover, and we kept experimenting on the Retro vibe.

When I was listening to the beat for Mr Lover, it was just giving me a lot of 90s disco vibe. So, I was talking about a girl that was trying to act like she was not into me. So, I wanted to let her know that I got it on lock; that kind of vibe. It was an awesome song.

Omnirascal was inspired by Lagbaja. Growing up, I listened to him a lot. I didn’t even know the direction we would have gone, but I let the music lead me. Lastly, Superstar was the song that I recorded last. The beat just spoke to me emotionally; I just wanted to talk about my journey. It has been filled with ups and downs.

Tell us some of your musical influence, while growing up and now. 
My family listened to music a lot. I used to listen to WestLife, Micheal Jackson, The Jackson 5, and a lot of Africans too, like Ebenezer Obey, and even Fela Kuti. In my teenage years, I listened to mostly Rap music; Lil Wayne, YMCMB, and a lot of them.

Basically, it started from rap and Retro sounds. Now, I draw inspiration too from Burna Boy, Wizkid, Davido, and everyone making good music. I also listen to Drake, Koffee, Chronixx and a lot of different sounds.

So, what is next for Major AJ?
I have been dropping music videos and performance videos. I am planning to have a Retro themed show very soon. So, we have that coming. In due time, amazing music! This is just the beginning of the journey. There is definitely more to come.

In a few years from now, Major AJ is going to be singing to millions from now. My music would be making a positive impact in people’s lives. Music makes me happiest; I just want to be doing my stuff. I want people to listen to my songs and feel better. In the coming years, my music will be everywhere.