One of Nigeria’s rising music star, Mikrane is leaving no stone unturned as he steps up his game with two new singles. He speaks with Segun Adebayo about the journey so far in this interview.
YOU dropped Signs & Temptation recently. What inspired the sound and message behind the project?
Signs and Temptations are about the push and pull I feel, the desires I chase, the choices and emotions that follow them.
It’s a personal short story I made in a vibey way to reflect same emotion in different ways. Personally both song are my way of showing how women, relationships, friendships and other entanglements can make us feel and act different. Is it a sign or temptation I don’t know why I gave both together.
You blend Afro-pop and Afrobeats with effortlessly—how did you develop your sound?
I won’t say the sound is where I want it to be yet but it’s still a work in progress to me. I feel Afrobeat can easily have meaning and not lose out its essence or become boring—So I just try to make the kind of music you can sit and listen to; a song that helps you to party or makes you get emotional and sing along happily. I understand not all songs can do this but I just try to embrace whatever mood I try to put in each track and still make it exciting—that’s how I’m developing my sound.
How has your upbringing in southern Nigeria influenced your music and storytelling?
My life has been mainly about survival. Wether it’s in Delta or Lagos the life is almost same— fast and bubbling with everyone trying to outsmart the other. But people will always come together at night to party and have fun. So the feeling is always the same.
Your songwriting is often introspective. What role does vulnerability play in your creative process?
I don’t really think it that much, I just say how I feel in ways I won’t be able to say if i am not signing. When I am making music music or writing songs, my creative side always takes the better side of me—I think music helps me to tell my in the most honest way.
Afro-fusion is an evolving genre. Where do you see yourself fitting into or shaping its future?
I just try to create music the following generations can get inspired creatively from; Afrofusion is a very exciting genre and I hope to be able to push it beyond its boundaries.
Tell us more about the lifestyle and entertainment brand activations coming up—what should fans expect beyond the music?
I’ve been working on my music recently because I’m still trying to scale but I’ll be out all summer and I’ll keep my fans updated on any new updates and events.
What challenges have you faced on your journey so far?
Nothing has surprised me so far because I have always known that the journey would be tough but not as tough as one is experiencing now.
I see every challenge as an eye-opener. I’m getting to understand the music business steadily and I have learnt that for you to rise to the top and stay relevant, you have to keep putting in the work. Every new release takes me a step closer to my dreams.
Who are your biggest musical influences, and how do they show up in your work?
I have a lot of favourite artistes who influence me but my earliest influences were Asa, Wizkid, Tems, Omah lay, Mayorkun. These were the first set of artistes I listened to that made me want to make music and be better at it.
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