Apple Music has announced the latest featured artist in its Africa Rising artist development program is Nigerian-born singer-songwriter LOJAY (real name Lekan Osifeso Junior).
“Thank you Apple Music for putting a spotlight on my sound. It’s a huge honour I don’t take for granted especially with all the amazing artists the continent has on display. It’s amazing to see how far my music is able to travel and how well it’s been received,” he tells Apple Music.
Developing an affinity for music from an early age, which evolved into a form of escapism for him during his adolescent years, it was the release of his collaborative EP with renowned producer Sarz called LV N ATTN (2021) that allowed LOJAY’s creative mastery to shine, with the Afrobeats EP shooting to No. 1 on Nigeria’s Apple Music Album Chart.
The EP was anchored by the hit single “Monalisa” that held its third highest position on Apple Music Charts in July 2021. The subsequent remix of “Monalisa” (2022) featuring Chris Brown allowed for LOJAY’s star to climb even higher, as he followed that up with downtempo Afrofusion single “Leader” (2022) and the Amapiano-rooted single “Canada” (2022) alongside Kabza De Small and DJ Maphorisa respectively.
His new EP, Gangster Romance (2023), available to stream on Apple Music in Spatial Audio now, is a 7-track exploration of the highs and lows LOJAY experienced this past year, characterised by emotive vocals and biting lyricism.
The latest music from LOJAY along with that of Africa’s hottest new artists, is available now on the Apple Music Africa Rising Playlist.
Listen to Africa Rising playlist here:
