Lojay: Meant To Be
PHOTOGRAPHY: Filmawi / STYLING: CARA HAYWARD / CREATIVE DIRECTION: CHARLOTTE MAYUMI PHIPPS / INTERVIEW & Words: AMBA MENDY
From underground brilliance to global stages, his evolution has been both intentional and natural in the best way.
The genre-bending singer is making music on his own terms. Faithful to his instincts, hungry for impact, and fully committed to the performance, I sat down with Lojay at the very start of his journey to create "XOXO", where he opened up about his inspiration, intention, and why his debut album is his most honest work yet.
When Lojay talks about Michael Jackson, his face lights up like someone remembering their first love.
“The first time I fell in love with music, I heard him sing, I watched him dance, and I was like Wow. I would just copy and practice in front of the TV.”
You can hear that MJ influence in the falsetto, sure. But you can feel it even more in the way Lojay moves through the world. Intentional, almost obsessive about his craft, never chasing anyone else’s validation.
“No. I don’t run my music past anyone,” he says, with a calm that feels rare in an era of instant feedback and algorithm-driven hits. “If I’m playing you something, it’s just for you to enjoy, because it’s personal. Like, I know what I’m trying to achieve with the song, and it has nothing to do with anybody’s validation.”
That clarity is all over his debut album XOXO. The record is a world you step into, lush, intimate, a little messy, a little dangerous. It’s the kind of project that feels as good in headphones at 2 AM as it does on a festival stage. “XOXO is everything I couldn't say in a conversation,” he says. “It's messy, emotional, sexy, and honest. I wanted it to feel like a late-night text you probably shouldn’t send… but do anyway.”
It’s a bold statement of intent from one of Afrobeats’ most intriguing new stars. But don’t mistake Lojay for someone who stumbled into this moment by accident. This has always been the plan.
He remembers the first time he saw Wizkid play at the O2 Arena like it was yesterday. “I got quite emotional, I kinda cried… and I made not a promise but a prayer to myself that I was going to perform at the O2 Arena.”
It wasn’t just fandom. It was a roadmap. The Lagos-born artist is part of a generation watching Afrobeats become global in real time, and he isn’t afraid to picture himself at the centre of that evolution.
“I love performing,” he says, and you believe him because you can hear the excitement in his voice. “When I’m making music, yeah, I’m thinking how I’ll perform this, because I’m a performing artist. I love performing. (As soon as a) song’s done, I’m thinking about the setlist.”
And that’s what makes Lojay different. He isn’t just writing songs; he’s building moments. Every track on XOXO feels like a scene; sweaty, vulnerable, cinematic. It’s music that’s made to be felt, not just streamed.
That mindset is also why he stands out in a crowded scene. Afrobeats is having a global moment, but not everyone is pushing the sound forward. Lojay is. By blending silky R&B textures with African rhythm, he’s not just making bangers, he’s making experiences. XOXO features collabs with Feid, Tyla, and Odeal, but the album never feels like it’s chasing trends. Instead, it feels like the genre is bending him, not the other way around.
And if you’ve only got time to listen to one song? He doesn’t hesitate: “If you’ve only got time to listen to one song off the album right now, make sure it’s ‘Somebody Like You’ then go back and listen to the whole thing.”
There’s an intimacy in the way he says it, not as a marketing line, but as an invitation. Because for Lojay, music isn’t just a product, it’s personal.
That personal touch has carried him from Lagos open mics to international stages, and it’s shaping what comes next. Where many artists crumble under the pressure of expectation, Lojay seems to draw strength from it. You get the sense that he’s not just thinking about the next single or the next chart position; he’s thinking legacy.
And yet, there’s no sense of rush. No scrambling for co-signs or viral moments. Just a quiet confidence that the work will speak for itself. That’s the part of him that feels most like Michael, the artist who shaped his first love for music.
Like MJ, Lojay is a perfectionist. But unlike MJ, he’s working in a digital age where the lines between artist and audience are thinner than ever. So how does he deal with that noise? By ignoring it.
Lojay doesn’t seem interested in letting other people’s opinions dictate his direction. His music is his compass, his live shows his North Star. “When the song’s done, I’m already thinking about how it lives on stage,” he repeats, almost like a mantra.
That’s why XOXO feels alive. It isn’t just an album you listen to; it’s an album you inhabit. It’s music for late nights, for heartbreaks, for quiet moments when you’re brave enough to admit what you really feel.
Lojay is making Afrobeats that’s ready for the world but still rooted in something deeply human. And that’s the real breakthrough. Because while the genre is global, his approach is personal. And that’s the balance that makes Lojay one of the most compelling voices in music right now.
He isn’t trying to be the loudest. He isn’t trying to be the most viral. He’s just trying to be the most honest. And when you listen to XOXO, you believe him.
Listen to Lojay's debut album 'XOXO' out now on all streaming platforms.
