ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: YUGOSZN
YUGOSZN is making Pop music from Nigeria and calling it N Pop. With 6 million plus independent streams, 3.5 million Spotify streams for “Tombstone” featuring Connor Price and 25 million TikTok views, his sound is travelling fast. Inspired by Michael Jackson, ABBA and Celine Dion, YUGOSZN is building his own lane.
For anyone meeting YUGOSZN for the first time, how would you introduce yourself and your sound without putting yourself in a box?
Hi, This is Yugoszn & I make Pop music, from Nigeria.
“Pop" is short for "popular music", and that's the core of it. Pop became a term in the UK in the mid-1950s to describe music that has mass, popular appeal, but the reputation for being digestible and built for broad export is a real characteristic of the genre. My music is easily relatable & easily exportable because of its fluency & our ability to touch on certain points that other people can’t.
You created your own genre, N Pop. What exactly is N Pop, and what made you think, “Yeah, I need my own genre”?
I don’t want people to have issues with classification or to be confused when they think of Yugoszn’s music. I want the global audience to identify me by my heritage & my style of music.
Where did the idea for N Pop come from? Was there a particular sound, artist, experience or moment that sparked it?
It wasn’t an epiphany, it was simply a no-brainer, N - for Nigeria, then Pop.
Your music pulls from Afrobeats, R&B, hip hop and global pop. Who were the artists you were obsessed with growing up, and what did you take from them?
Listened to a lot of Michael, hahaha, a whole lot of ABBA, Celine Dion & the likes. I guess I took from them the ability to make songs that would stand the test of time.
How much of Lagos can we hear in N Pop? Are there sounds, experiences or everyday moments from the city that naturally find their way into your music?
On the Musty & Yugo, Vol. 1 EP, we have a song titled “Action” with Musta4a. We shot the video in Johannesburg, but when you listen to the music, it sounds like the heart of Lagos. It captures the hustle & go-getter mentality of the city. But mind you, Lagos is not the only city in Nigeria. We have 36 states in Nigeria & I’m of Igbo heritage but I was born in Lagos, so I’m not just bringing the western creativity, I’m touching on the eastern side as well. We are inclusive over here.
N Pop feels like it is about freedom as much as it is about sound. Do you see creating your own genre as a way of giving yourself permission to break the rules?
Instead of thinking about it that way, think about it this way, we are enlarging the coast/scope of African music.
You are a songwriter, producer and artist. When you are making a record, which YUGOSZN shows up first: the songwriter, the producer or the artist?
The artist shows up first.
Your music can be emotional one minute and ridiculously catchy the next. What usually comes first when you are creating a song: the feeling, the beat or that one hook you cannot get out of your head?
It depends on the mood when it’s time to work, but one thing is certain we always make sure we enjoy the music that’s being made.
Let’s get into the visuals. What does the YUGOSZN universe look like in your head, and how important is art direction to the way you tell your story?
All I can say is the Yugoszn universe is very passionate. Can’t really say much about this right now, but the art direction is critical to where we are headed.
Your music has a strong visual identity. What influences your approach to fashion, photography, design, film and the overall aesthetic around your music?
Love influences my approach. Faith, Love, my struggles etc.
With listeners finding you across Nigeria, the US and Europe, how do you balance making music that feels authentically African while still speaking to someone thousands of miles away?
We all share something inside of us. And that is something we speak to. The Igbos call it Chi. We believe it resonates & we can speak to it in every human regardless of where you are.
You have already picked up more than 6 million streams independently, with “Tombstone” featuring Connor Price passing 3.5 million Spotify streams. When you look at those numbers, does it feel real yet?
I always feel blessed when I think about it. Big shoutout to Connor Price, Big shoutout to GRAHAM. It was such an honor to represent my city & my country.
You have also generated more than 25 million TikTok views around your music. Do you enjoy the unpredictable side of social media, or does watching people discover your music in unexpected ways sometimes surprise you?
I love when people send me messages when they discover my music, I love how technology has made it seamless to connect with new fans all over the globe.
If N Pop becomes a much bigger movement, what do you want people to understand about the culture, sound and creative world you are building around it?
When that happens, we want people (artists specifically) to own it with pride, enjoy the music. It is something worth celebrating that our generation was able to do something like that.
Finally, forget the algorithms and the numbers for a second. If someone has never heard YUGOSZN before, what song would you play them and say, “Start here. This is N Pop”?
Play Yugoszn. The album. That’s POP music from Nigeria.