Ever since his fated breakout, in 2018, Victor AD has shone across Nigerian musicdom with his unique musicianship. His introduction to the limelight came with Wetin we gain, the prayeresque song that sparked hope in Nigerians.
The Delta-bred musician, born Victor Adere, joined the league of street-pop mavericks such as, Bella Shmurda, Barry Jhay, among others, that captivated audiences with their relatable grassroots stories. His follow-up hit, Tire You enlisted Davido, spiking his listenership and even earning showtime on major European stages like the 02 Arena. And by 2019, Victor AD had become a household name in Afrobeats.
While Nigerians grew fond of his hustle-focused discography, they quickly grew tired too of the seeming monotony and long time intervals that coloured his releases. And it is exactly this reality that Victor AD seems to tackle in his forthcoming comeback album, Realness Over Hype, scheduled to drop in the coming months. “It is going to come with versatility,” he says. Already, the album’s lead song, Holy Water, is bagging positive reception from the music community, as fans latch on to the nostalgia of Victor AD’s prayerful anthems.
Is it time for street-pop to rule the industry once again? With the rise of mavericks like Shallipopi, Seyi Vibez, Mohbad, among others, it’s become a sturdy trampoline to stardom. And Victor AD is racing towards milking the grace of this groove.
Catching up with Guardian Music, the 30-year-old musician tells us about his experiences finding Holy Water in South Africa, drawing inspiration from everyday life, and stripping his personality to make his imminent career-changing comeback, among others.

How do you feel about the record?
It is a good start to the year for me. I made the song sometime ago in South Africa, in 2021, during the Coronavirus lockdown. I was supposed to be there for a show, but after arriving in the country they went on lockdown the next day. I had to stay indoors for over a month. I had to find a producer to come over to the apartment and we made the song.

How did you cope staying locked down in another country?
I can tell you that it is not easy. It was not the plan, especially financially. I had to just cope. Immediately, I was told that the lockdown had been lifted. I had to just leave the country.

How have you been navigating your own growth in the music space?
It has been an amazing journey for me. I never knew that I would blow up with Wetin we gain. I enjoyed the process. I toured with Davido and all that. I feel like, despite the challenges that followed, it has been good. The growth of the Nigerian music scene too is encouraging. Imagine how we have been dominating the world!

As street-pop becomes more accepted locally, how comfortable have you been making your type of music?
I make other types of music, but basically I am well known for this sound that I make right now. There have been times that I felt like I had to switch the sound; the funny thing is that I started being a full-time loverboy and I didn’t really start making street-pop music. It got to a point where I started switching to street-pop. I feel like this sound is where I find peace. The time people would see the loverboy side to me would be when I release the album. It is going to come with a lot of versatility.

Talk to us about what you have been up to, since your last album dropped in 2019.
My forthcoming debut album, Realness Over Hype, would be released in the next few months. I was meant to drop it last year, but I still wanted to work on it a bit more. I do not want it to be like a compilation of sweet songs; I want it to go with the name ‘realness over hype’. It should be like an album. I want it to feel like a real project and not leave any doubts when you listen to it.

How do you draw inspiration for your music?
It mostly comes from conversations with people. I could be speaking with you and you say something and I pick inspiration from it. Wetin we gain came from a conversation with my secondary school friend. He used to mention ‘wetin we gain’ a lot when he spoke, like ‘If we no do this and that, wetin we gain?’ and it was a slang word in Warri at that time. I picked up the inspiration from there. In the album, I am pouring out my heart and keeping it real. You might see the Victor AD that you never get to see. It is a reflection of myself actually.

Most memorable song so far?
I feel like one of them is titled, Seagod. I did that song way before I blew up. I made the song during my polytechnic days in Auchi. I still have some of them like that that I wrote before Wetin we gain.

Do you have a creative process?
For the fact that I like travelling a lot and most of the times if I don’t get to converse with a lot of people I work with the environment. I might just go to a beachfront and make a song relating to the mood there. Sometimes, it could be about the country.

You hardly collaborate with other artistes. Why?
This is the time that I have done collaborations the most. When it comes to my music, I am too self-centered with it. Even if I want to collaborate with a person, before I even think of who would fit on the track I could have written like two verses already.

Tell us about collaborations you successfully did.
I have one with Bella Shmurda and I have another one with the late Mohbad.

Are you going to be on more stages this year?
I do like performing on stage but the kind I like is live performance, which I don’t get to do all the time. I would be doing more shows with a live band after the album drops.

So, if Victor AD wasn’t making music, what would he be doing?
I would be a fashion designer. I unveiled my clothing line in 2022. The funny thing is that my dad was a fashion designer. That time when he asked me to follow him to his tailoring shop, I always said God forbid and that I could never be a tailor. Last, I find myself liking it.

Who are some of the new voices you would like to work with?
I don’t know how new Omah Lay is but I like his sound very much.

Tell us three fun facts about you.
I love playing basketball. I am a boring person. I don’t have too many hobbies; I have just been listening to music all my life. I play videogames but I don’t play anything else other than wrestling. I am not a movie person either.

What’s your vision for your brand?
I feel like there is a part of me that I haven’t actually brought out 100 per cent. I would like to do that in a very big way. I want to be known for affecting people’s lives positively. Imagine being known for going to prisons to perform. Those are people that won’t have access to shows on a normal day.