Singer Obongjayar talks about just a few standout songs from his new album, “Paradise Now.”
SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
And at last at present, the singer Obongjayar has a brand new album out. It is referred to as “Paradise Now.” The Nigerian-born singer, who moved to the U.Okay. when he was an adolescent, says he attracts inspiration from all around the world, and that was on full show on this album. We caught up with him to be taught extra concerning the course of of creating the album and to listen to about just a few standout tracks.
(SOUNDBITE OF OBONGJAYAR SONG, “MOON EYES”)
OBONGJAYAR: The humorous factor about “Moon Eyes” is that it is about one other LA love of mine, however somebody I’ve identified for a really very long time.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “MOON EYES”)
OBONGJAYAR: (Singing) Moon eyes, you look so candy. Hanging right here proper subsequent to me. Moon eyes, my child, ooh, daylight hits you completely.
I simply watched the solar hit her face, and it was a kind of lovely mornings the place you take a look at somebody and also you simply realizing all of the issues that she’d carried out for me and the way good a buddy she’d been to me and possibly how horrible I might need been to her – not horrible, however not nearly as good a buddy to her as she was to me – simply appreciating her in that second.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “MOON EYES”)
OBONGJAYAR: (Singing) What’d I do to deserve you? What’d I do to deserve you? What’d I do to deserve you? What’d I do to deserve you?
I wished to write down one thing to let her know that I really actually did respect her as an individual, as a buddy and somebody in my life.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “MOON EYES”)
OBONGJAYAR: (Singing) Out of nowhere, you swept me. My flaws are many. My scars are heavy. Took down my armor so delicately.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “JELLYFISH”)
OBONGJAYAR: (Rapping) The way you promote your soul for numeral. No spine, you jellyfish. Oui, oui, oui. Ooh, la-la. Sir, you are a sure man.
“Jellyfish,” I believe I wrote it at a time when Rishi Sunak was prime minister within the U.Okay., and that is simply within the early levels of the battle in Palestine.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “JELLYFISH”)
OBONGJAYAR: (Rapping) Too actual for this world. Too actual for this world. Too actual for this world. Too actual for this world.
That is one thing I couldn’t respect, particularly with the state of affairs that was happening and the way brutal the entire thing has been. I used to be actually, actually mad on the entire state of affairs, and I simply wrote a music about it, calling out the British authorities for his or her stance on the battle in Palestine.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “JELLYFISH”)
OBONGJAYAR: (Rapping) The way you promote your soul for numeral. No spine, you jellyfish. Oui, oui, oui. Ooh, la-la. Sir, you are a sure man. The way you promote your soul for numeral. No spine, you jellyfish. Oui, oui, oui. Ooh, la-la. Sir, you are a sure man.
Lyrically, you do not have to write down in a selected kind of approach to get your level throughout or to say one thing. You simply say must say – be how you’re and converse the way you converse and say what you’ll say, relatively than attempt to twist and switch and go round in circles. I believe it is simply – it was an important for me to be very direct and straight to the purpose. So I believe that is what I discovered making this document.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “JUST MY LUCK”)
OBONGJAYAR: (Singing) I wish to be a part of the band.
“Simply My Luck,” I imply, I assume I have been writing “Simply My Luck” for a very long time, simply via completely different levels of my life and attempting to come back to phrases with lacking out on issues and never getting the issues that I would like – I believed I wished at sure instances in my life.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “JUST MY LUCK”)
OBONGJAYAR: (Singing) Simply my luck. I did not get what I wished. It was simply what I wanted to maintain me going. Simply my luck. I am within the incorrect place, making time, making time.
The melody of it and the music of it’s fairly good, enjoyable, happy-go-lucky music. However deep inside it, it is nearly like a realization of not essentially getting what you need. And it is unhappy to – it is unhappy when you do not get the issues that you really want. It isn’t a pleasant feeling, recognizing that these issues won’t essentially be issues that you just want in life, you recognize? So it is like that form of, like, distinction.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “JUST MY LUCK”)
OBONGJAYAR: (Vocalizing). (Singing) Fortunate, fortunate, fortunate, fortunate, fortunate, fortunate, fortunate. (Vocalizing). (Singing) Fortunate, fortunate, fortunate, fortunate, fortunate, fortunate, fortunate. Simply my luck.
I believe I discovered that room for magic, man. Make room for magic. Let it. You’ll be able to’t management each single facet of it. It was extra about having enjoyable and simply being within the second, creating music.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “SWEET DANGER”)
OBONGJAYAR: (Singing) Saving me.
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