[Joeboy](https://www.instagram.com/joeboyofficial/?hl=en) has the words “young legend” tattooed on his wrist, and there couldn’t be a more accurate description. The young Nigerian recording artist prides himself in creating feel-good afropop and R&B records, putting on for Africa in the best way he knows how. As one of music’s biggest rising stars, Joeboy continues to release smash after smash, including “Baby,” “Beginning,” “Don’t Call Me Back,” and his standout collaboration with Mr Eazi and DJ Neptune titled “Nobody.”
Describing himself as “a young Nigerian artist chasing his dreams,” he states, “I’m young and I’m ready to take over the world. I love making music and spreading good vibes.”
It was in 2017 when Joeboy posted a cover of Ed Sheeran’s “Shape Of You” on Instagram, catching the attention of Nigerian star Mr. Eazi who immediately reached out via DM. One year later, Joeboy joined Eazi’s full-service company for rising African artists called emPawa Africa, proving his worth and breaking through into the mainstream light.
Now, fans are thrilled to be gifted with Joeboy’s debut full-length album titled _Somewhere Between Beauty and Magic. Flaunt_ caught up with Joeboy via Instagram Live, who was posted in Lagos after a long day of work. Read below as we discuss his good vibes, upbringing in Nigeria, what inspired “Lonely,” his new project, the story behind “Celebration,” advice from Mr. Eazi, his dreams, newfound love for fashion, the #ENDSARS protest, best encounter with a fan, and more!
**Why is it important for you to spread good vibes and positivity?**
Because there’s so much negativity around. Me having this platform or me having a voice, or me having this talent, it’s best I use it for something positive. We all need some form of positivity so I try to do that in my best way possible. I want people to know that every time they listen to Joeboy, it's always good vibes. I don't ever want people to hear the name Joeboy and not feel excited, not have some feeling of warmth or happiness. I want people to be happy every time.
**You’re from Nigeria, how does that play into your life and career?**
It’s been crazy, I’ve experienced a whole lot. Lagos is a peaceful place with so many cultures, so many tribes. It’s really crazy too because there's a lot of people; it’s densely populated so there is always this rush, It gives you that _ginger_ and you always want to go for what you want because if you don't go for it, someone else will get it. It’s a really really beautiful place to grow up, but it makes you strong at the same time. If you can make it in Lagos, you can make it anywhere in the world. I actually really noticed that when I started travelling to different countries, I realised how calm other places are and it made me realise that growing up in Lagos actually helped me chase my dreams.
**What are your dreams?**
I want to make a living doing what I enjoy doing, which is making music. Touching lives the best way I can positively. I get a lot of messages from people saying “Listening to your music got me out of depression”, “Anytime I listen to your music, my mood lights up”. Those responses and reactions to my music feel better than money most of the time because it’s a beautiful and humbling feeling that, when people hear “Joeboy ‘pon deck!,” everyone’s excited.
**Did you think you’d be where you are today?**
I always had that feeling, but I didn't expect it to be so quick. I had anticipated that maybe in 5 years time but two years in the game and I’m already achieving so much. There’s way more to achieve. I knew it was going to come, but I didn't expect it to be so soon.
**Bring us back to when you were covering songs in your dorm room, what was Joeboy like then?**
Yo, I was just a young guy who enjoyed making music. I used to listen to music a lot. I was a music head, always listening to new music, foreign music. I was listening to rap, rock, trap, all sorts of music. I’m still a major lover of music and I kept making covers, recording songs, and reading my books.
**What books were you reading?**
I was in school at that point, so I had to stay on top of my game or I was going to get F’s. I didn't want that. My parents really appreciated me for the fact that I went to school. I studied Human Resources while I was in University, it wasn’t a course I genuinely and intentionally chose because I do not like mathematics. I asked around and I was advised that, by studying that course, I wouldn't get too much mathematics in my curriculum. I was like okay, I’ll do that. At that point, I didn’t think I knew professionally that I’d end up making music. I felt it was a really difficult industry to get into so I decided I would go to university and, whichever works first, I'll do. Thankfully music worked.
**Did you think your Ed Sheeran cover would catch the eyes of Mr Eazi?**
I remember that day vividly. Eazi sent me a DM on Instagram, I went to check if it was really him and, if his profile was really verified, because I thought I was dreaming. At that point, nobody knew who I was. I didn’t send the video to him, my friend sent the video and she didn’t tell me. She told me “yo, I’m going to send this video to a bunch of artists. Let’s see which one of them will get a response.” I got my mind off it. Three days later I get a notification saying “Mr Eazi sent you a DM.” That was one of the best days of my life, I realized that this could actually be serious. I could do this for a living. Before then, it was just for fun, something I did to enjoy myself.
**What was Mr Eazi’s best piece of advice?**
He always said be true to yourself. Be consistent regardless of the results. You will not always get positive results all the time, but you have to keep going. If you keep going, you’ll get something right. You can’t try out something once and move on. One thing that I always picked from his advice is to be consistent regardless of results. The industry can be very challenging too.
**“Baby” was a big record for you, 52 million views on Youtube.**
I knew it was going to blow up, but I didn’t expect it to be that big. I remember it was already big in East Africa for 2 months before it blew up in Lagos, Nigeria. To this day, I don’t understand how that happened. I’d never been to East Africa or Uganda, and I didn’t know I had a lot of fans that show me love there. I got to visit and perform there and the reception was amazing and it’s now one of my favourite places to be.
**Someone asked, how was your experience in Sudan?**
It was way better than I imagined. When I got the booking from Sudan, I’m like “people know my music in Sudan?” I get a lot of anxiety when I’m performing in places I’m not too familiar with because I'm not sure if they’ll really know my music. Next thing we land in Sudan, we head for the show and it’s sold out. So many people singing my songs back to back. There were even some of my songs I felt I shouldn’t perform because they wouldn't know it. They said “perform this song, perform _Blessings_, this and that.” It made me understand that music’s really a universal language. It doesn’t matter if people understand what you’re saying, if they love it, they love it.
**How much do you miss performing and the stage?**
Performing became one of my favorite things. Performing to a live crowd, that adrenaline rush… “Everybody give it up for Joeboy!!” Screams and happiness on people’s faces and the way their faces light up when they see me, seeing everything is very very emotional. I miss that, I hope things get back to normal as soon as possible.
**Favorite song to perform on a set?**
It varies for different regions and it depends on how people respond to it. I remember the last show I did in Tanzania, I performed “Call” and the response was super wild. I didn’t expect that at all because the song came out during the first major lockdown. I didn't know people even knew the song. When I checked the stats on one of the popular music apps in that region, _Boomplay,_ I saw that the song “Call” was one of the most streamed afrobeats songs in East Africa. It’s a really energetic, high-tempo song, especially when you’re performing it with a live band.
**Who or what inspired your song, “Lonely”?**
I remember I wrote the song during the lockdown. Everybody had to stay indoors and, not seeing family as much as I wanted to, it was really restricted. I kept seeing the same four walls in my house. I couldn’t step out of the house for two weeks, so I decided to be productive and make something out of the circumstances because I knew people would relate to it. You can't see your loved ones and then there’s this lonely feeling that creeps in. You instantly get that picture, so I decided to make a song about it. Inspired by the lockdown, essentially.
**Someone asked, any message to young artists?**
Stay true to yourselves. Be consistent creatively because it’s crazy and there are challenges all around but focus on your craft. Don't get carried away by the glam. It's a lot of work. Make sure you love what you’re doing.
[**_Somewhere Between Beauty and Magic_**](https://empawaafrica.lnk.to/JoeboySBBM) **out now, how are you feeling?**
I'm super excited about the project, it’s my debut album. I can't wait for people to listen to it and see different parts of me on the album. I really can't wait, I wish I could drop it sooner. I had plans of dropping it since early last year but a lot of issues came through from losing my hard drive, so I had to replace and re-record some songs. Now, it's the right time. I'm so happy and super proud of everybody who worked with me on the project. It's been a long time coming and finally we get it out there for the lovely fans. I can't wait.
**Talk about having no features on your debut album, that’s big.**
Yeah, it's my first project. I really want it to be just about Joeboy and for people to have an undiluted understanding of what I am all about.
**You close out the album with “Celebration,” what does that song mean to you?**
I put out “Celebration” last year in December. You know, 2020 was a pretty wild year, there was a lot of bad news everywhere. It almost felt like everybody was having a bad time. Everybody was having down time. I came to realize there is always something worth celebrating. No matter how little, whether it’s having something to eat, being healthy or having a job, anything. I just felt like putting out that song at that particular time to encourage people was very important for me. It’s not the typical Joeboy song, but I felt it was the right time to put out that song. The goal was something worth celebrating regardless of any issue that comes up. There’s a part of the song that I say “we go dey alright o.” It’s a song of encouragement. I wanted it to be felt. I like putting out songs based on how i am feeling because It feels more genuine to me too at that point.
**You have a song called “Consent” that touches on sexual consent. How was working on a short film that puts a spotlight on sexual violence at large?**
It's a really really serious issue. We need to be more educated as people when it comes to the idea of consent because no one has autonomy over another person. Asking for consent means asking for permission no matter the scenario: Proper direct communication is important and not assumptions. Not because of what a woman is wearing or if she is at your house that doesn’t mean she has given her consent to be with you, this is an issue that is affecting everyone around the world. Women and men have a right to consent, you don't grab someone because you feel some form of attraction towards them or try to take advantage of somebody while they’re drunk. It's a really important topic and I have a voice, so I wanted to make a song about that.
**What has been the most humbling experience throughout this journey?**
This happened recently when I was in a lake in Abuja, Nigeria. I met a very young kid, his name is “Ibrahim”. He told me his story about how difficult it was growing up and the fact that, despite everything he has gone through, he was still happy regardless. At some point last year, i was really sad because of everything happening and i felt that this life is full of sh\*t. He told me a story and I totally understood and it humbled me that we really need to be grateful for the things that we have. Big shoutout to Ibrahim, he is such an amazing and smart kid. He is just 11 years old and he is so wise and I will make sure I keep in touch with him.
**What is your love for fashion?**
I really didn't care for fashion to be honest. I started falling in love with fashion during lockdown, I had a lot of time so I started checking out all of that stuff. Fashion’s really nice. One of the best things when it comes to the entertainment industry, the way you look, the way we dress. I really really want to be part of that industry in the near future. I'm really excited about fashion. One thing I’d love to delve into is fashion. I'm on the path: I have a clothing line coming out this year.
**How’s your celebrity life like and how do you cope?**
It’s crazy, but I’ve realized as a popular figure that you always need to have a safe space where you can be 100% yourself and that safe space is my room. When I'm tired of all the noise, all the commotion, I have my safe space. Staying grounded and I have a lot of personal time.
**What do you like to do for self-care?**
Different things I’ve been checking out. I went to a spa to get a massage for the first time today and to get a pedicure. It was really nice, I slept throughout the entire thing because it was so relaxing that I went to sleep, I checked the time and it was one hour later. Massages, video games, and buying shoes. I love buying shoes, everytime I buy shoes it makes me happy.
**Why are you single?**
I don't think I’m ready to be in a serious committed relationship at the moment. I’ve been there and I really don't want to waste anybody’s time.
**What do you look for in a girl?**
I can't really pinpoint something in particular but be fun, be straightforward, and know how to dance. I love to dance, I love girls that dance. That’s my weak point.
**You’ve been** [**personally impacted**](https://www.myjoyonline.com/end-sars-i-was-a-victim-of-nigerian-police-brutality-joeboy/) **by police violence during Nigeria’s #ENDSARS protests, what are your thoughts?**
The #ENDSARS issue has been on for a very, very long time. I’ve been harassed by SARS about 4 times, but that was before I blew up. As a young person, 7 out of 10 young Nigerians have been harassed by SARS. Anyone could get harassed for no reason, just because I have dreadlocks, or I am wearing a ring, or I have a tattoo, or you have a flashy phone like a SAMSUNG. Then they automatically call you a fraudster, they conduct illegal searches and they can pin something on you and arrest you. It's a big issue that is affecting young people and I’m proud of my generation for finally saying something and standing up against SARS. I can tell you that cases of police brutality and harassment have reduced over time because they know that the young people have a voice and are going to speak up. And I’m really proud to be a part of that movement.
**Best encounter you had with a fan?**
There are a lot of memories, fans crying and being emotional around me. There’s one particular person, her parents brought her to me after a show. She was crying and her mum was thanking me for saving her daughter and giving her a reason to live. She was suffering from depression, was harming herself and, when she started listening to my music, she started getting emotionally happier. The more she listened, the more she got happier. I’m really humbled and happy my music had that effect. There was another encounter when I was driving around in Lagos and some really young kids saw me and were screaming my name and crying, that was a beautiful experience. It was wonderful.
**What’s the most important thing to you?**
Inner peace, because life can be crazy. Everybody could be thinking of me and thinking “This guy is having a good time” or “This guy is living the life” and the person might be sad inside and The next day he commits suicide. The most important thing is the way you see yourself. Having peace inside is the most important thing. I’m so happy at this stage I have inner peace inside, I'm so happy. It's important. There’s nothing anybody can say to me that’d get me pissed off because I am so at peace and I love that. Trust me, you can have all the money, all the fame, all the love and still feel some type of way but, if you are really truly at peace with yourself, trust me, it’s beautiful.
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