Noonzi’s path into music did not start in a London studio or a Lagos session. It started in a primary school choir, where Idris Aminu Gidado sang, acted and took the stage before he had a stage name.

That early grounding still sits under the Nigerian-UK artist’s work. Raised with Nigerian roots and later based in the UK, he has spent years stitching Afrobeats, R&B, pop and jazz-leaning melody into a sound meant to travel in both directions. The result is a catalogue that moves from club records to more personal writing without fully leaving either lane.

“My music is a blend of R&B, Afrobeats and jazz,” he has said. “It’s unique because it’s shaped by my resilience and life experiences.”

Before Sky, Noonzi had already put out a run of singles that mapped that mix. Love U reached the UK pop/club charts, Shake U featured on the UK dance charts, and later records such as Anything, Beautiful, Chop Am, Loving You and Maria kept him between romance, groove and Afropop. Maria, produced with Willis, pushed past 50,000 Spotify streams and helped frame him as an artist working toward a debut album rather than a one-single cycle.

He has been clear about what he wants that body of work to feel like. “Nigerian fans should expect something that sounds like home but still pushes forward,” he said. “It blends Afropop, raw emotion and energy. My roots show in the melodies and the writing; everything is intentional.”

That Nigerian-UK split is not a marketing line in his telling. It is the writing method. “Being Nigerian is in my rhythm, my melodies and my expression,” he said. “Even when I’m making global music, that Nigerian honesty and simplicity in storytelling always comes through.”

The personal register became more pronounced on Loving You, which he described as coming from a season defined by love, family and responsibility. Sky, released in July, flipped the mood: freedom, elevation and dance-floor lift, positioned as the doorway into the album. Together, the two records show the range he keeps claiming; songs that can hold a room and songs that try to hold a feeling.

He has also been open about the harder part of the job. Criticism, he says, is constant. “I face criticism all the time; however, it’s not always negative. I believe it makes you better in so many ways.” Quitting has not been on the table. Music, he has said, remains therapy as much as profession.

What comes next is the album he has been pointing to through these singles. The career so far is not a sudden breakout so much as a long build: choirboy, club-chart name, Afropop storyteller, and now an artist asking listeners to hear Sky as the start of a fuller picture rather than another isolated drop.