Meet Omah Lay, Nigeria’s rapid rising star and afro-fusion artiste

Omah Lay has made some serious strides in a relatively short space of time, stemming back to his viral debut single “Do Not Disturb”, which dropped less than two years ago. Since then, he’s collaborated with the likes of 6lack, Olamide, and DJ Spinall, spat out some features alongside veterans Adekunle Gold and Wizkid, turned out two EPs that have amassed tens of millions of streams, and assembled a dedicated army of fans (can we coin them as ‘Laymen’?). 

There’s a contagious warmth and even sunnier outlook that’s so integral to Omah Lay’s sound that this rapid ascent makes sense. Née Stanley Omah Didia and a self-described ‘afro-fusion artiste’, Lay blends a concoction of modern, sparing production with rich storytelling, romantic melodies, and uncompromisingly authentic lyricism. On single “Damn”, he revels in unconditional love: “She loves me when I'm jobless, she loves me when I'm wrong, even when I no need love.”

Self-produced in collaboration with Nigerian producers Bizzouch, El Jack, and Andre Vibez, his debut EP Get Layd introduced him in May 2020 as a fresh-faced charmer to watch out for. While his second EP What Have We Done cemented his presence in an exciting new league of honey-toned millennial crooners – Fireboy DML, Joeboy, WurlD, and Tems to name a few – all bringing their unique spin to the sounds of the diaspora. We linked up with him to hear his origin story, ambitions for the future, and about the unexpected event that occurred in Uganda in December.

Good morning! Where are you locking down at the moment?

Omah Lay: Morning! I’m in Nigeria right now, in Lagos.

Nice, I’m just down the road in Malawi.

Omah Lay: Oh I’ve never been to Malawi. But let’s do a formal introduction! (Laughs). My name’s Omah Lay and I’m from Nigeria. I wanna hear your name and where you’re from.

I’m Natty Kasambala and I’m from Malawi/London. And today I’m also from Dazed!

Omah Lay: OK cool, this is gonna be fun.

So you live in Lagos?

Omah Lay: Yeah, I live here but I don’t get to stay here much because I’m always travelling.

And where are you originally from?

Omah Lay: From River State, Nigeria. I grew up in Port Harcourt before I moved to Lagos not too long ago.

“My cousin taught me how to write poems and lyrics so I’ve always written a little bit, freestyled a little too. But it wasn’t until I heard ‘That’s That Shit’ by Snoop Dogg that I actually picked up the music thing” – Omah Lay

And if you had to, how would you compare the two?

Omah Lay: OK, so Lagos is like the home of everything: entertainment, markets, busy life, clubs. Life in Lagos is kind of different to every other place in Nigeria. It’s faster, it’s busier. So one of the big differences for me with music is that in Lagos you get to meet people so easily, everything’s around you here. Port Harcourt is also a big vibe! But in terms of entertainment, it’s not as big as Lagos.

I read an article where Olamide, who you worked with on Infinity, talked about the Port Harcourt ‘slanging’ and how your use of it makes your music super unique. Is that something you’re conscious of?

Omah Lay: You know, it’s hard for me to even tell the difference! Lagosians usually speak Yoruba for slang or their native dialect, but I guess Port Harcourt people use slang words where I don’t even know where they come from. That’s the little difference I think. We also have this different type of accent that I can’t really explain either.

Yeah I can definitely hear a difference there. So when did you decide to put it to use in music?

Omah Lay: My cousin taught me how to write poems and lyrics so I’ve always written a little bit, freestyled a little too. But it wasn’t until I heard “That’s That Shit” by Snoop Dogg that I actually picked up the music thing. That was in maybe 2016 or 2017?

And what sort of poems was young Omah writing?

Omah Lay: I think I’d come back from school and just write about what happened in my day. (Laughs). I was also listening to a lot of Tupac too so I think I tried to write random stuff like that. And then also a lot of Drake influence.

Did you wile away the hours after school watching music video channels like me as a kid?

Omah Lay: Nah, we actually didn’t even have that! My cousin introduced me to most of it, he was a big fan of Lil Wayne. At that time, the internet wasn’t even like this, we used these Symbian phones. I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of those?

I actually haven’t… *Googles image* Oh yeah, I know these.

Omah Lay: Yeah so my cousin had one of those and he was always sourcing new music online. It was so difficult back then, you’d have to Google to see if there was a new song out and what it was called, and then go to one of those sites where you pay for the song and they give it to you. I think he discovered Drake through Lil Wayne and then introduced me to it and I was like… woah.

I remember those days of music stores and Bluetooth too well. Isn’t it mad how fast everything’s changed with streaming and access?

Omah Lay: I really don’t know what I’d be doing if we were still in that era of selling CDs. The whole streaming thing changed the game. It’s one of the reasons why (the new generation in the music industry) are where we are right now. In those times, it’d take so much more time to grow an audience, whereas now you can put out a song and it could reach two million people in less than two days. 

Speaking of, you had a huge moment of your own: “Godly” was the number one song in the country for consecutive weeks. How did that feel?

Omah Lay: I’m so grateful and so happy. I never thought it would come so fast. I’m happy that people enjoy my music as much as I enjoy making it for them. For me, it’s not all about the numbers, it’s also how many people smiled when they heard it, how many people danced. How many feel what I’m saying, and do they truly enjoy listening? So I think that’s also what’s reflected in the charts too.

“I’m happy that people enjoy my music as much as I enjoy making it for them. For me, it’s not all about the numbers, it’s also how many people smiled when they heard it, how many people danced” – Omah Lay

100 per cent. And you also started out producing music didn’t you?

Omah Lay: Yeah, so I started out rapping and writing but then I quit and decided to become a full-time music producer, making music for other people for a long time. Then something happened and I realised I wanted to make music for myself. So I wrote a song (“Do Not Disturb”), recorded it and put it out. That was the start for me. 

When you decided to put yourself at the forefront, what sort of things did you look to for inspiration?

Omah Lay: Honestly, I draw my inspiration from everything around me. I could draw it from this conversation right now. It all depends on the vibe, the mood, the flow of everything. It’s very flexible and natural, anything could be the trigger.

And with such a natural process, do you ever struggle with writer’s block?

Omah Lay: Yeah I get blocks for like months at a time.

Do you have any rituals to lift yourself out of it?

Omah Lay: One thing I do is just stay back, get in my zone, listen to music that makes me happy. Then I try to make music that’s not for consumption, stuff that I know I probably won’t put out. I make music that only I can enjoy. (Laughs). It’s weird, I even make sure people aren’t around when I’m listening to that type of stuff. 

I’m so curious about what that music sounds like?

Omah Lay: I guess I go back to my roots in Osadebe, Fela Kuti sometimes, Celeste Ukwu...

People could surprise you! I think they’d love to hear that from you.

Omah Lay: Oh shit, for real?

Definitely. Which nicely leads on to the question of musical heroes – do you have any others?

Omah Lay: Drake showed me a lot, Lil Wayne, Burna Boy, Wizkid, Davido, Wande Coal. 

What would you say is the best thing about being part of the current thriving music scene in Nigeria?

Omah Lay: Just being part of the African music movement is a blessing actually. I’m happy that I’m one of the people who is helping to bring African music to the rest of the world. It’s just a dream come true.

“Just being part of the African music movement is a blessing actually. I’m happy that I’m one of the people who is helping to bring African music to the rest of the world” – Omah Lay

You had a bit of a crazy end to 2020, when you and Tems were arrested in Uganda after performing at a festival. What were you feeling when you went through that?

Omah Lay: Yeah man, it was an experience I never thought I would go through. Being in a foreign country… one minute I was in one of the best hotels and then the next I’m in the worst police cell. And then I’m in prison, in cuffs, wearing a prison uniform. It was crazy! I’m writing songs about it that’ll be on my album this year. 

What a whirlwind year. I feel like there are a lot of things you probably weren’t able to do as a new artist during a global pandemic – touring, promo. Where’s the first place you want to visit when it’s safe to do so?

Omah Lay: Hm! Uganda. (Laughs). Did that shock you?

Yeah… but it actually makes sense – to rewrite that history?

Omah Lay: Yeah, I definitely want to do London and South Africa, Kenya, and the US. But the first place I would want to visit again when the world is back to ‘normal’ is Uganda. I want to see my fans again.

What’s one thing you hope people take away when they hear your music?

Omah Lay: I want them to take me with them. I always want people to listen to my music and feel a connection – where my story is actually their story. A lot of the time, my songs are about reality, real experiences and feelings, and I know I’m not the only one in the world that feels that way. I’m trying to make my music to get to that someone, somewhere who feels the same way.

Omah Lay’s What Have We Done is out now