"Spotify: Mic Check" Podcast Features Nigerian Afro-Fusion Artist WurlD

  I have a confession to make. I have never listened to Nigerian Afro-fusion music. Then I listened to the latest episode of Spotify: Mic Check featuring Nigerian Afro-fusion Artist WurlD. The music is akin to a cool breeze, an invigorating sunrise, and a hum in your bones. 

And that's why I love about Spotify: Mic Check. If you're comfortable with your Yacht Rock playlist or favorite hip-hip tunes, enjoy. But if you want to experience the full depth of music available to your sheltered ears, check out Spotify: Mic Check.

In each episode, your ears travel to a different part of the world to listen to amazing music they've probably not encountered before.  

 This episode features an in-depth interview with Nigerian Afro-fusion artist WurlD and his global music success. 

 

You can listen to the full episode here.

On the heels of headlining the first ALte Culture Festival in Lagos, WurlD joined Mic Check to share more about his experiences being raised by a single mother, building his music career, writing music for Akon, and why African music resonates with the diaspora. WurlD’s appearance on Mic Check follows a recent feature on Spotify’s “African Heart” playlist - a moment that helped him to connect with listeners worldwide and build a wider, global fan base.

Please see below for interview highlights in the episode: 

• 01:39-01:50 - WurlD on the influence of his single mother in his life and career.
• “My mom was a trader and I remember when I was young, she used to carry me on her back through the market. I'm so blessed to have an independent, strong mother that found her way. Honestly, ahh, this is emotional for me, because the memories that I have, it's just her just trying to make it, trying to figure out a way to put her kids through school and find a way as a single mother.”

• 04:25 - 05:30 - WurlD on getting started in the music industry and working with Akon.
• “It took me a while to be accepted in rooms being an African kid. My perspective was a bit different. I looked different, I sounded different. I had to prove myself two times, three times, four times to be accepted because a lot of labels were not looking for another African kid. The only African that was relevant was Akon at those times. Watching Akon was a motivation. He's from Senegal. I'm from Nigeria, but it's still an African story. Watching another African in those lights, it really just made me feel like I could do it. I can get it done. And that we all inspire each other. I had a chance to meet him and I wrote a song for him as well in Atlanta. I had to really compose myself and not make it seem like the biggest deal. I had a poker face, and I was really nervous, and it was crazy because I was actually vocal producing him on a record that I wrote, you know, and learning at the same time observing at the same time, I hope he gets to hear this because getting to meet him and working with him, that was beautiful.”

• 07:34-08:25 - WurlD on the success of his hit “Show You Off” and how it resonated with many Africans
• “When ‘Show You Off’ happened, that was my first time that I actually connected back to my hometown because of the sound. It was a fusion of Afrobeats music and R&B soul music. And this was the first time a lot of Nigerians and Africans got connected to me. And I would wake up to hundreds and hundreds of messages from Nigeria and different parts of Africa, like, ‘Yo, the song is amazing.’ And that is the reason why I'm here doing this Afro-fusion now, because I felt something real. I felt a calling. Africans and Nigerians don't like that when you are too Americanized as an African. Right. They like the authenticity, the rawness of it. So for me, I really just stayed true to myself. I didn't change anything about who I am. And I'm pretty much based in Africa, Nigeria now.”

• 09:33-10:18 -WurlD on going back to Nigeria during the pandemic and creating his newest album.
• “March of 2020. This was during the pandemic, I almost got stuck in Germany. This is when the borders, everything was closing, and I had a choice of either going back to America or going to Africa. But me and my brother, we decided to go back to Nigeria to spend time with the family, my mom. First time in almost 18 years that I spent like a whole year in Nigeria. You can only have like a certain amount of luggage. So I had a choice to either bring a lot of clothing or bring my studio equipment. I decided to take my studio equipment, which is one of the best decisions. Because now I was in Nigeria, stuck in a family house with my studio equipment. You know, I ended up recording the majority of this new album, My WurlD With You. That's why I delivered 19 songs.”

• 13:51-14:09 - WurlD on the rise of African artists and how the world’s perception of African music will shift.
• “So I feel like the rest of the world, with time are going to start seeing more of what Africa has to offer. Because we're not just one thing, we're not just one sound. And I think that's really the magic of it. More people are getting inspired and feel like they can break boundaries every day.”

 The cost for your ears for listening toWurlD is the time it takes to listen to Spotify: Mic Check. The best part is: Spirit can't cancel your flight!

You can listen to the full episode here.