NEAR TRUTHS: REALIGNMENT AND RECOGNITION
Underscoring the year's biggest stories (11/19a)
NEAR TRUTHS: THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM
Nervous time in the music biz and beyond. (11/16a)
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NOW WHAT?
We have no fucking idea.
COUNTRY'S NEWEST DISRUPTOR
Three chords and some truth you may not be ready for.
AI IS ALREADY EATING YOUR LUNCH
The kids can tell the difference... for now.
WHO'S BUYING THE DRINKS?
That's what we'd like to know.
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WHAT IT IS: With his mesmerizing vocals, evocative storytelling and catchy rhythms, Omah Lay, born Stanley Omah Didia, is one of Nigeria’s most-talked-about up-and-comers. The 24-year-old singer/producer’s brand of Afro-fusion pulls from his deep personal history with West Africa’s percussion-heavy highlife genre, as well as his enthusiasm for the popular sounds of his generation, from classic rap to the Afro-beats empire flourishing in his home base of Lagos. Following his 2020 debut EP, Get Layd, which yielded the hit “Bad Influence,” Lay continues to carve his own path with his sophomore EP, What Have We Done, propelled by singles “Confession” and “Damn.” After teaming up with Justin Bieber earlier this year for a remix of “Peaches,” he’s rejoined the pop star for the collaboration “Attention.”
ALBUM: Boy Alone
RELEASE DATE: Summer 2022
SINGLE: “Attention”
LIVE: U.S. tour starting in the fall
INTERNET: Dual video release on Omah Lay and Justin Bieber’s YouTube channels generated 6m+ total views; debuted at #2 on TikTok’s Afrobeats playlist; 356m global streams across all platforms; 4.9m+ monthly Spotify listeners
RADIO: Single impacted on 3/8, currently #27 on Rhythm at presstime
PRESS: The Eye Sessions, N.Y. Times, Rolling Stone, Complex, more
BOOKING: Bryan Soroka/UTA
MANAGEMENT: KeyQuad