Popular Nigerian singer, Omah Lay has shared his observations on the current state of the Afrobeats genre.
Omah Lay noted that many Nigerian artists and beyond have been drawing inspiration from his unique sound, which he believes has become a benchmark for new Afrobeats music.
Omah Lay expressed concerns that the genre’s pioneers are prioritizing commercial success over authenticity, potentially changing the sound.
“The artists coming out from Nigeria right now, not just Nigeria but afrobeats in general are taking a bit of my stuff, the stuff I started, everybody tryna copy something. I don’t think I am happy with what the pioneers of Afrobeats are doing right now.
“The front guys are watering it down by just chasing the bags. I can’t remember the last time I heard a proper Afrobeats Song. It’s now Amapiano in Afrobeats clubs, not a proper Afrobeats song.”
Omah Lay
The singer stated that the Afrobeats genre is being threatened. He lamented that the genre was being diluted to appeal to foreign audiences and becoming overly commercial.
Omah Lay stated that the Afrobeats genre is no longer in safe hands. He said the lucrative nature of the genre is making a lot of artists sing for money rather than passion.
Recently, the Afrobeats genre has been attracting criticism, with foremost Jamaican reggae artist, Buju Banton describing it as “fickery.”
He claimed that Afrobeats had no substance and would fade with time.
Omah Lay had earlier called out his colleague for stealing his album idea.
Omah Lay alleged that a colleague he shared the idea of what was supposed to be his next album with, stole the idea to make his album.
He stated that he shared the idea with the unnamed colleague because they wanted to collaborate but the artist went on to release an album with the same idea he shared with them.
Singer Explains Why He Changes His Personality Every Year
Afrobeat singer, Omah Lay, expressed his feelings about the numerous betrayals he has faced in his life and career.
In a post on X, he revealed that the experiences have led him to change his personality.
He wrote: “Y’all done me wrong so many times, I change my personality every year.”
The “Soso” crooner also shared that his upcoming album, “Clarity of Mind”, is centered around his journey of healing and moving forward.
He admitted that his mind has been his “worst nightmare” and is now learning to navigate it.
“Healing & moving on. My mind is my worst nightmare, I’m now learning my way around it,” the singer said.
Omah Lay is making waves and an impact in the Afrobeats genre. The singer shared his “Moving” story behind his latest single
“‘Moving’ is the second single off of my next project. It was all inspired by moving to a new place. I actually have not been spending a lot of time in Lagos recently. I’ve been spending a lot of time in London, especially making the album. It’s just a new environment being able to move from one place to another, to be your police then.”
Omah
Omah Lay further revealed how involved he was in the visuals in the video for ‘Moving’ and the kind of story he wanted to tell.
“I mean, recently, I’ve been emphasizing on telling the story of my music through the music videos. For ‘Moving’, I am telling the story of how illegal immigrants travel to Europe through the desert, through Sahara, because the thing about Nigerians from Edo traveling, trying to get to Europe illegally, and going through the desert, and a lot of them don’t make it through and stuff.”
Omah Lay
“So yeah, that was just the story. That was what inspired the video for ‘Moving’,” he added.
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