Brazy is the multilingual Nigerian artist doing it for the girlies

Pressing play on any one of Brazy’s tracks will have you feeling like you’ve tripped and fallen into the club bathroom with all your best friends. With the girls at the forefront of her output, the 21-year-old Nigerian “it” girl – who describes her music as “afro sexy – afro future” – has quickly become a frontrunner in a wave of young Nigerian artists dominating the London music scene. Her use of witty lyricism and ear-catching expressive vocal tones, alongside her ability to drop bars in not just English but Yoruba, French and Mandarin, have unequivocally set her apart from the crowd. Brazy (AKA Brazy Bih) is genre-bending in every sense of the term, creating a perfect concoction of afrobeats, jersey club and amapiano. And Despite being in the infancy of her career, Brazy has caught the eye of the likes of Alté icon Cruel Santino, appearing on his critically acclaimed 2022 album, Subaru Boys: Final Heaven.

While her boundary-pushing musical style takes centre stage, It’s nearly impossible to mention Brazy without touching on her colourful style. The rising star is now exploring new avenues and transcending into luxury, making her debut at Paris Fashion Week earlier this month with a performance at The Louvre. Meanwhile, the esteemed French fashion house Mugler used her 2022 viral track ‘Attends’ as part of their runway soundtrack.

Now, the musician has returned with her latest single, ‘omg’, phasing back and forth between English and Yoruba in a typically confidence-oozing performance. With its bouncy, hypnotic production, combined with Brazy’s catchy one-liners – “Just because I’m looking hot, doesn’t mean you should fear” – it’s a track that demands to be played at just about every function. Throw in the bonkers music video that accompanies it, which sees the musician posted up in a field of oversized CGI flowers amongst other wacky sets, and we’re pretty certain this is Brazy’s world; we’re just living in it.

Here, we catch up with Brazy to discuss her musical come up, performing at Paris Fashion week, dream collabs and more…

Was music always something you wanted to pursue or did you have other dreams as a kid? 

 Growing up, I wanted to be a super sexy corporate girly and CEO! Music is a dream I found along the way, so now I get to do both, which is pretty cool. 

Which artists had the most impact on you growing up?

 I was literally obsessed with Mo’ Hits. Not sure if you can tell just by listening to my music, but they are one of my biggest influences. The beats are so experimental and bold, and it’s really like they don’t give a fuck and just make what they like because they like it. They make music you can dance to and have fun with. Even as kids, we’d have dancing competitions to Mo’ Hits songs and make-up choreography. Dagrin also had a huge influence on me. My mom literally just had one CD in the car, and it was a Dagrin CD, so I listened to those songs over and over and over. And the fact that he rapped only in Yoruba was so sick to me. Even when I didn’t understand what he was saying, I was still obsessed with his flows and bounce – he definitely influenced me using different languages in my music. I also loved Beyoncé growing up, but I was OBSESSED with Nicki Minaj, like absolutely obsessed. I loved how she wore colours all the time. I loved how she loved pink because I also loved pink (I still love pink). I loved the fact that she was an icon from the start, and there are no boxes for her sound – she makes what she wants; she showed me you can excel at whatever you want.

You’ve showcased your multilingual skills in your music. Are there any other languages you want to learn and incorporate in your music?

I feel like it would be super sick if I could build on my Dagrin inspo and make a whole song in Yoruba, like Olamide or Lil Kesh. My brain just thinks in any language that it wants at different points in time, and I believe the more languages I’m able to learn and the more cultures I expose myself to, the more my mind expands and I’m able to approach creating songs with unlimited ways to express myself. So yeah, I’m ready to learn any language. I’m collecting them like infinity stones, even if it’s just one word.

If you could fill your wardrobe with one designer’s clothes, what brand would it be?

Hmm… I have to think about this… I have absolutely no loyalty to designers. I just like what I like. If I had to pick just one, I love Ai Mei Li because you can mix and match any item in the collection and wear it however you want.

What’s your getting ready with the girls’ song?

Getting ready with the girls is different each time because we normally just listen to our liked songs on shuffle, which is so fun. You never know what vibe you’re going to get. My favourite getting ready vibe, and the reason why I would be late, is when we watch music videos of songs we loved back in the day – we bang out ‘Latch’ by Sam Smith, ‘Ijoya’ by Weird MC, the WHOLE of Wizkid’s Superstar. We’re all over the place, but we have to start the party before the party, of course!

What movie sums up your life right now?

Hannah Montana: The Movie

Who’s your dream collab?

The list is so long! But right now, I’m really feeling the producers – people like Don Jazzy, Busta Rhymes, DJ Yk Mule. I think we’d eat.

How do you think a young Brazy would feel about the position you’re in now?

Young Brazy would be EXTREMELY proud of where I am right now. Since I was young, I’ve always had big dreams for myself and actively taken steps to be the best in whatever it was I was doing at the time – nothing has changed, and we’re doing amazing, sweetie! Young Brazy would be very proud, but she’d still tell me, “You know we’re not done yet, right? Enjoy every moment, of course, but we’re not stopping till the top!”

What was your experience like at Paris Fashion Week?

Paris Fashion Week was honestly amazing. This was my first fashion week, so the experience was everything. Going to the shows, sitting in the front row and watching runway shows of outfits that I would previously have just seen from my bed at home. So insane. Being around some really inspiring people who’re doing amazing things. The fact that I had a song literally playing on the runway? Being able to perform at the Louvre? These are things I’ve dreamt of and are now my actual lived experiences. Incredible.

What message do you hope your fans take away from your music?

I hope that my fans just take away the fact that you can do whatever YOU want and be whoever YOU want, and you can change whatever you want when YOU feel like it. You can be shy one day and that bitch the next. Wear all pink today and wear all black tomorrow. I just want them to know that they’re the boss, creating their own lane and that they’re in competition with nobody. It sounds so cliché, but it’s honestly so important.

What’s the goal for Brazy?

To be an icon. 

What can we expect from you for the rest of the year?

 Some crazy music alongside some crazy visuals!