It was a heated Friday afternoon, and the cozy dialogue took off with the rather cliche question, “Where did this whole music thing begin for you?”.
’My name is Ashaolu Idowu John Afolarin’, he started, ’I am from Osun State and I was born and raised in Ikorodu.’
Ikorodu, home to over one million inhabitants, is a suburban giant located in Lagos, Nigeria. In the Nigerian music scene, this vast city is particularly famous for breeding some of the nation’s finest stars, some of which are Zlatan, the late Mohbad, Seyi Vibez and Lojay.
One common trait noticeable with all these mentioned artists is ”stories”, they are all storytellers. The daily hustle and bustle lifestyle of an average Ikorodu boy was the fuel they needed to burn their desire for greatness.
For Young AI who started dropping freestyles at age 13 (he started music at a very young age, this formed the conception of the ”Young” in Young AI. The “AI” are his initials), his music is a reflection of his environment. The budding singer and songwriter has spent his early years figuring how best to connect people to his music and in his words, his found solution is ‘…letting them share every part of me.’
He dropped his debut EP Sounds Of AI in 2023. The project recorded over 200,000 streams across various platforms. The EP was his first step at introducing his vision of versatility to his audience. The budding star strives to make known his ability to become an artist that ‘checks all the genres’ and he decided to take it up notch by dropping a sequel a year after.
“I want to be that guy that uses his music to impact lives.”
His sophomore EP which the singer pictures to be a prearranged extension that shows advancement dropped on the 29th of November 2024.
This interview is a deep dive into the come into being of his latest EP ‘Sounds Of AI Vol. 2’.
It’s been a year since you dropped the Vol. 1 EP. How do you feel about dropping this sequel?
I feel really good. Vol. 1 was my very first EP. I released it independently and the results were impressive, so I look forward to Vol. 2 achieving even greater heights. The most significant reason for this sequel is to redirect people’s attention to Vol. 1, the project still needs more discovery.
What was the songwriting process like for this new EP?
All the tracks were written by me at different moments. For ‘Ozone’, recording that track was my first with the producer. I had already written the entire song and in one night, Jhay2unez (the producer) made the beat to the song. ‘OH BABY’ on the other hand was inspired by love. I write music based on my environment and how I feel.
Unlike the Vol. 1 which had two collaborations, the Vol. 2 is a solo EP. Is there any significant reason for this?
My vision for this EP is to make people understand that this is “advanced Young AI” era. I want them to be glued to my sound, I tried as much as I possibly could to curb reviews like ‘that EP is doing well because of the feature’ or ‘the song sounds good because of this feature verse’ because next year, I have a list of collaborations lined up so, I want my listeners to become acquainted with my sound and also know that I am that guy.
You must have had a handful of pre-recorded songs, how and why did these particular tracks make it to the EP?
All the tracks on the EP are different styles/genres. Each style represents the different parts of me and I want my listeners to experience every part of me. I want them to know that I am versatile with my sound and that I fit into any box.
Of all the tracks on this project, which particular one holds a special place in your heart?
Everything! All the tracks are special to me. I wrote ‘Figures’ at a broke phase of my life. I needed money for almost everything but everywhere was red. And I mentioned earlier that ‘Oh Baby’ was a love moment for me so, each track has its own story.
What is one crazy experience you had while recording the tracks on the project?
On the day I recorded ‘Pum Pum Pum’, I decided to drop by a friend of mine that stays close to the studio for ease of movement. On getting there, he asked that I accompany him to his family home on the mainland. I refused on the basis that I had a recording session that night and I needed to be in perfect shape for it, but after so many back and forths, I finally gave in. I drank so much that I slept past the time for my session that night. I made it to the studio eventually but the process was so chaotic that I slept off in the studio after recording.
Would you say your music is associated with street anthems like those of TML Vibez, Balloranking and their likes?
My music has a bit of everything. Street anthem? Yes, I do that too. I make music for every circle.
You’ve been thriving for almost five years as an independent artist. What would you say is the biggest challenge you have faced so far?
Asides financial constraints, I would say lack of structure. I mean the absence of planned and strategic ways of carrying out my operations. In addition to writing and recording my songs, I am incharge of handling all the other tasks that need to be done. It becomes really overwhelming.
This sounds like a management issue. Do you think this can be solved by putting together a strong team?
It could, but I sometimes feel like having so many people to depend on slows me down. I do things as they itch me. I probably am too fast paced to have to wait for a number of people to get things done.
Apart from Zinoleesky who you have already worked with, which other mainstream artist would you love to collaborate with and why?
I’d love to collaborate with Fireboy DML. I think whatever music I and Fireboy get to collaborate on would be Grammy worthy. From the foreign market, I’d say Central Cee.
What is the perception you want people to have about you and your music?
In a few words, I want to be that guy that uses his music to impact lives.
