14th June, 2024
By Taiwo Okanlawon
Nigerian singer Adedamola Adefolahan, popularly known as Fireboy DML has claimed that Afrobeats is now as big as Hip-hop and R&B.
In a podcast interview with Noisey, the ‘Peru’ hitmaker explained that Afrobeats isn’t just a genre but a culture and a movement with an incredible history.
Fireboy, however, said his own brand of Afrobeats is unique.
“I always say this, honesty is the soul of songwriting. It doesn’t have to be your story. It could be someone else’s story. It doesn’t matter. As long as it’s honest, when you put it out, someone somewhere is going to relate with it and that’s all that matters,” he said.
“That’s what I bring into my version of Afrobeats. Afrobeats is known for vibe, the energy and the rhythm. But I bring that intention, that songwriting feel. [I’m] Trying to put Afrobeats on the map. It’s just as big as Hip Hop & RnB if you let it. It’s a culture, it’s a movement. It has history. Now more than ever the world is paying attention.”
In a recent interview with BET, Fireboy claimed that the Afrobeats scene before his emergence was just “vibes” and lacked “pure soul and lyricism.”
He explained that he created his own sub-genre of Afrobeats because he knew his sound was “different.”
In the interview, Fireboy talks about how he got interested in making music, his many notable collaborations with the likes of Blaqbonez, Jon Bellion, Jon Batiste, Jax Jones, Madonna and his most well know collaboration Ed Sheeran on his most famous song “Peru,”.
He also talks about how he feels about the Grammys finally recognizing Afrobeats, how much he loves football, mixing Afrobeats and country music, his love of Noah Kahan and more.