09 November 2024 |
4:46 am
Chocolate Metropolis’s rising star Tariq is again together with his third EP, Okada Airways, a undertaking impressed by his nomadic upbringing and infused together with his signature emo-pop sound. On this unique interview, Tariq takes us behind the scenes of his artistic journey, displays on his musical influences, and divulges the private story behind his newest launch.…
Chocolate Metropolis’s rising star Tariq is again together with his third EP, Okada Airways, a undertaking impressed by his nomadic upbringing and infused together with his signature emo-pop sound. On this unique interview, Tariq takes us behind the scenes of his artistic journey, displays on his musical influences, and divulges the private story behind his newest launch.
Tariq is an distinctive Afrobeats’ new college vocalist. Along with his African R&B/Soul and Pop fusion, the Chocolate Metropolis singer has been edging nearer to the limelight since his 2022 debut, Son of The Moon. His velvety vocals, moody melodies, and deep-rooted Indigenous influences have carved out a definite area for him in Nigeria’s emo-pop and soul soundscape.
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After final 12 months’s All I Felt prolonged play, the gifted younger artist, born Tariq Oluokun, is again together with his third undertaking, Okada Airways. Infused with African dance music samples and duets with label mate Younger Jonn on Bus Cease Remix and Nigerian singer Khaid on Jigga, the EP marks a brand new part in Tariq’s artistry.
Having grown up in Edo, Lagos, and Delta states, Tariq’s nomadic upbringing formed his music over time. His earliest influences diverse from the defunct E.M.E. All Stars to American rap icons Drake, J. Cole, and Kendrick Lamar. Beginning out as a rapper underneath the moniker Driew World, he transitioned to singing and located his large break in 2020 when a viral Instagram freestyle attracted the eye of Chocolate Metropolis’s expertise scouts.
Tariq’s music stands out for its metaphorical lyrics, relatable storytelling, and feel-good vibe. With Okada Airways, he explores his mind-set and the affect of his peripatetic upbringing. The title is a tribute to his late father, who labored as a station supervisor at Okada Airways, owned by Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, in Benin Metropolis earlier than it ceased operations in 1997 after almost twenty years of operation.
On this Guardian Music interview, Tariq shares the backstory of Okada Airways, displays on his artistic course of, and talks about his mission to create a list of timeless hits.
What impressed the Okada Airways EP?
The entire concept got here from a few conditions I discovered myself in rising up in Delta State. Okada Airways is an precise airline station in Benin Metropolis the place my dad labored as a station supervisor again within the 80s. I used to be born there, however we moved to Delta once I was a 12 months previous. Shifting often between cities felt like a endless journey, and I channelled these emotions into this undertaking. The EP displays the individuals I met, the issues I noticed, and the existence round me. It’s all concerning the motion and the journey.
From Son of the Moon to Okada Airways, how do you describe your sonic shift?
For me, it has at all times been a trifecta. On my debut, Son of the Moon, I used to be at the hours of darkness about loads of issues about myself. All I Felt was me coming to phrases with precisely how I felt about sure conditions, about even myself rising up as a younger child. Okada Airways represents the journey and motion.
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Inform us about making Livin Soul and sampling Zule Zoo’s 2005 hit, Kerewa?
I already had Okada Airways however as a few songs. I didn’t have a undertaking. That’s how I work. I simply create quite a bit, after which I assemble a undertaking from the songs that stand out. I began with one thing cultural. That was the place the Zule Zoo pattern concept got here from. It was at first a freestyle, and I obtained a lot love from it on social media that I needed it to be the primary music on the undertaking. I needed the undertaking to start out with one thing that makes you are feeling alive and really feel higher once you really feel down. And that’s one factor that I’ve had continuously in each completely different place I’ve been and lived in.
Inform us concerning the music with Younger Jonn.
I’m so grateful to Younger Jonn as a result of the collaboration was impromptu. He noticed a video of me making the music on my Instagram story, and he texted me saying that he liked it. I requested him to be a part of it and, though he was on tour, he nonetheless got here by means of for me. He even got here for the video shoot, and that’s a giant deal for me as a result of he’s a legend. I’ve been following him since he was producing for Olamide and I’ve at all times had enormous respect for him.
How do you are feeling about your various sound?
I’m grateful that there’s no restrict to my sound. It’s really easy for me to consider getting a Grammy proper now due to the way in which I make my music and the type of issues I wish to sing about. Quickly, extra individuals would catch as much as it.
Inform us about your typical artistic course of.
I’m unorthodox with how I document, to be trustworthy. A lot of the greatest songs on Okada Airways had been made out of nothing. The undertaking was much more about motion and experiences, so I didn’t must be in any sure temper to put in writing. I made one-half of Okada Airways in a camp. I made the opposite elements in a house studio, my producer’s place, and a unique camp. I obtained Dwelling Soul from a freestyle, I obtained Step and Italy from regular classes that weren’t even recorded with Okada Airways in thoughts. Zuko was the primary music that was made strictly for Okada Airways, but it surely was virtually ignored till we determined it was important to finish the narrative.
What’s essentially the most random place you may have ever gotten an concept for a music?
It wasn’t actually concerning the place, however a factor. It was meals! I had a meal of eba and vegetable soup at my first music camp this 12 months. The meals was so scorching I used to be sweating, however I used to be having fun with it. Subsequent factor you understand I used to be freestyling about how nice the meals was. After washing my palms, I had this sudden urge to work on the freestyle and that’s how Zuko happened. It’s in all probability the weirdest factor as a result of we had been all having enjoyable making movies of me freestyling whereas consuming, and it ended up sparking an precise music concept.
What’s your way of life like once you’re not making music?
I can’t lie. I’m a boring man. I like to spend time with my household and hang around with my pals. Sooner or later, I might like to journey quite a bit. If I don’t expertise life, how do I make related music? I like to argue about soccer with my brothers; I’ve three brothers and all of us assist completely different soccer golf equipment. So, each single time I’m going to the household home, we spend like two hours each morning simply arguing as a result of all of us love soccer. I additionally love to talk to individuals who imply the world to me. I’m nonetheless introverted, so I’m form of an indoorsy man.
What’s subsequent for you?
I’m engaged on a Western meet-and-greet for the tip of the 12 months, after which hopefully subsequent 12 months we do different elements of Nigeria. I’m additionally engaged on my first East African tour, and later this 12 months, I’m going to have my first competition. So, I’m going to be on the highway, and there’s an album coming. I’m gonna should lock in on that. I can’t anticipate the wonder that’s going to be the album. I took loads of time with Okada Airways as a result of I had to verify I didn’t make any extra tales about it. So, now I’ve to think about the motive for the album. For me, each single undertaking I make must have motives. As soon as I’ve a motive, then it’s album time, after which we’re gonna go loopy. However proper now, I’m on the highway to completely different colleges and completely different elements of Nigeria. I’ve my For Hold Pageant, which is simply my concept of youths coming collectively to have a superb time and be free. And since I see life in black and white, the theme of the entire present is black and white. That’s my concept of the competition, and I can not anticipate that to come back to life. I hope that, by God’s grace, this shifting round and simply being this man who likes to tour world wide, I expertise it to the brim.
Lastly, what’s the imaginative and prescient for Tariq?
I simply need individuals to really feel happier. I would like individuals to hearken to my music and both really feel comfortable, really feel higher, or really feel understood. I’m so fortunate to be this type of artist who makes timeless music. I wish to go world wide and to carry out at and promote out in stadiums. I would like individuals to grasp the issues I stand for.
