This is Billirano, born Ogunsola Olayinka Basit and raised in Agege, Lagos, Nigeria. Billirano started music officially in 2021 and started receiving major attention for his music in 2022 after the release of one of his most viral songs yet – ‘Grateful’. It was at this point the young and rising star figured that music was most likely the way for him.
Billirano’s music core is afrobeats. As he said “I might branch out every now and then but afrobeats still remain my core”. His music shows to a great length the impact of his humble beginnings which reflects in his songwriting even down to his choice of sound. He has built his music to fit into the different sounds and eras of afrobeats music that have existed and faded away in his time spent in the music scene. But to what extent does sound development keep one away from public criticism?
“If there’s no one to criticise you then, you probably are not doing it right”, this was Billirano’s straightforward answer to the question. He then continued, “Naysayers exist and will continue to exist. I have had to deal with them and I still do. I just view it as a normal part of the process.”
His music inspiration which he referred to as his”Idolo” is no other than the street pop god Zlatan. Their journey together as mentor and mentee goes way back to a small incident that happened in 2022. A certain concert is held annually at Billirano’s residence at Agege and in this year in particular, he was scheduled to perform on the main stage of this massive show before thousands of people. But sadly, when he got on stage, he was not allowed to perform because he had missed his turn on the schedule. “As I stood there sad and without hope, I heard someone call my name from the main stage, lo and behold, it was Zlatan. He brought me up to the main stage and promised me a verse then and there. Fast forward to 2024, the verse turned out to be his verse on ‘Blessed’”, he narrated. Billirano’s latest song ‘Blessed’ is Zlatan’s fulfilled promise to him.
As this rising star continues to grow in this new gen era of afrobeats music, his every step is focused on the long term dream of becoming an artist that will build the path for other newcomers to follow.
