Omah Lay: I love the ‘Afro-depression’ tag given to my music

Singer, songwriter and record producer, Stanley Omah Didia, also known as Omah Lay, has typically been intentional with his releases. Hence, he has embraced the ‘Afro-depression’ tag given to his music by fans, saying the sobriquet shows that listeners understand and connect with his music without him needing to explain it to them.

Omah Lay, whose music embraces varying emotions of pain, hurt, loneliness, and struggles with fame disclosed this in a recent interview on Billboard. He also shared that he believes his music has inspired a crop of Afrobeats artistes who he claims have all taken from it.

He said, “I love that people call my music Afro-depression. I definitely love it; I love that I started a new movement and my music started something new that I didn’t have to come out and tell people that my music is ‘Afro- depression’.

“My fans made it up and I didn’t have to explain. It’s great to witness that I can just make music and the world can decide what it’s and it becomes a movement. The artistes coming from Afrobeats right now are taking a bit of the stuff that I started and everybody trying to copy something. It’s a new movement,” Omah Lay added.

His music is popular for its emotional and sentimental elements as he uses his song to offer insights into his struggles. This melancholic music defined his debut album Boy Alone with the hit record Soso and quickly earned his music the ‘Afro-depression’ tag.

Having been on tour for most of the year, the award-winning sensation recently released Moving, the lead single from his sophomore album, Clarity of Mind. According to him, he re-recorded the song after an artiste he shared his vision with stole his sound.

Moving sees the Port Harcourt bred artiste embrace the spinning highs of living in the moment, which has been a prevalent theme in his music since he released the deluxe version of Boy Alone last year.

Produced by Pontus Persson and LIOHN, the soundscape of the song soars with its colourful bass and string instruments, beautifully settled into the urgent yet mellow pace Omah Lay has made his sonic signature over the years. The desert-shot visuals make for a cinematic entry into those sounds, evoking the thrills of a journey along with its surprises, including natural forces and human friendship.