“I captured my heart’s rhythm on this project, I gave it everything and even more. You can’t know how happy it makes me feel until you listen to it, said Willi when asked about the six-track mini album released last week. It’s an ambient, cerebral take on Afro pop and Afrobeats, shifting effortlessly between time signatures and knees bending chorus effects.
‘WilliTheEp’ is the first solo project of the 200 level Unilorin performing arts undergraduate, Adegboyega Joshua Fawole, a.k.a Willi. The tone of this body of work is raw, unflinching Afrobeats heavy songs. Ranging from straight-forward bangers to more esoteric production from Willi himself, the mini album is dazzling, a six-track release showcasing Willi’s diverse musical influences, wealth of ideas from Afro-pop to hyminals. Backed with colorful visuals shot by veteran, Akin Alabi, ‘Angelina’ is live on Youtube.
The first EP is lead by a song entitled ‘Angelina’, which presents Willi as a love-stuck teenager struggling with the sour realities of an unrequited love affair, he writes glowing about a relationship better imagined in his head.
“Without intending to use cliche, Fela is divine (pauses). So is the beautiful music we make in my denomination (C and S). But all I ask for, all I need is just strength to win, produce more hits, work with the best in the game and take Nigeria higher, take Afrobeats around the world. That global respect that we give hip hop and R&B, Afrobeats can have that too,” he said.
Born Adegboyega Joshua Fawole on 9 June 2001 and known professionally as Willi Fawole is a Nigerian record producer, singer/songwriter. He started making and recording music at age 13, and created ‘The Light’, a musical group formed with his close friends in the choir. He rose to prominence in 2017 with the release of the song ‘Memories’. He has produced for different artistes namely Tony Tetuila, Azadus, Zlatan Ibile, Oberz.