NIJI won’t let perfectionism stifle his art

Hailing from east London’s sonic melting pot, NIJI has carried his sound across the pond in recent years to broaden his community — the people who “allow me to stand and do what I do”. It turns out that what the singer-songwriter does is, well, a lot. He supports industry heavyweights like Harry Styles on tour. He plays organ at Madison Square Garden for the Knicks and Rangers every other week. And NIJI’s latest venture? His debut album, Oríkì. Set against a fusion of genres that honour the artist’s British upbringing and Yoruba heritage alike, the album relays the stories of NIJI’s family and the “wealth of creativity” of his Nigerian bloodline. It’s exactly this that brings the “vibrancy” to the artist’s music — as well as an unfettered dedication to not letting perfectionism stifle his “calling”.

How did your musical journey start?

It really started with my dad — he plays five instruments and taught me and my brothers to play the drums first. From there we all picked a tuned instrument. I just took a really keen liking to the piano and it never stopped. I think around that age everybody gets really addicted to something, whether it’s playing video games or playing football or playing out with friends, and mine was just playing piano. From thirteen to eighteen I gave it every hour of my time.

You quit your office job for music in your early twenties. What was it like making that leap of faith?

Yeah, I did! I quit the job I was working at and decided that if I didn’t take a leap of faith then, I would regret it in the future. It was the best decision I ever made in my life! I live with no regrets and fully in my purpose, which is to play, perform and create music, and I’m so grateful that I had the courage at such an early age to make that happen for myself. A lot of people are forced out of making decisions from their heart and taking leaps of faith, but I just trusted my ability. I’m so grateful now that I’m actually able to have the career that I have and create the art that I want.

You recently released Oríkì — congratulations! What can listeners expect from the album?

My debut album has just been released! I’m so happy! Listeners of Oríkì can expect a fusion of my jazz arrangements with Fuji music and Afrobeat influence, all drenched in the heritage and stories that I’ve musically told about my family. Oríkì is also an album in honour of the heritage of my great-grandmother, Matilda Taiwo.

What makes you most proud of your Nigerian roots?

What makes me most proud of my Nigerian heritage is the courage, tenacity, the work ethic, the creativity and the food among a lot of other things. We live a life of colour and richness and fullness, which comes out in so many different ways — by the way we express ourselves as Yoruba people, the way we dress, the way we communicate, the way we create music, our colour palettes. It just screams vibrancy. To be Nigerian, to be Yoruba, means to have a depth and a wealth of creativity, of romance, of history and dialect of traditional stories. 

How does that heritage manifest in the album?

So many different ways — speaking to my grandma about our family tree, different members of our family and their stories. The story of my great-grandmother is incredible, and it really fuelled the creativity around the entire album so much, so we decided to use her face for the album artwork. It just felt fitting. Also, I spent a year researching Nigerian rhythms and instruments like the talking drum, Afrobeat and Fela’s music. I love Fuji music, which comes from Nigeria. This album was my take on bringing the traditional art form of Fuji, and mixing it with my love of jazz and horn arrangements.

Tell us about your great-grandmother’s story.

My great-grandmother was born in 1910, and grew up in a time where the unspoken rules suggested women belong in the kitchen. She didn’t believe that she had to, and her friend taught her how to sew fabrics, and with that information she then created a business of buying, selling and creating fabrics in Nigeria. She would travel up to Kaduna in the north of Nigeria, buy materials and bring them down to the south in Lagos to sell. She became so successful that her business grew insanely profitable. Alongside her business, she also was the songwriter of hymns for her church and they adored her for it. When I learned about the story, it spoke to me of someone who was rightfully defiant and completely wrote her own rules. Especially at a time when there were very clear gender roles in the world that she was raised in, she decided to create her own lane and her own legacy. It informs more about myself than I realised, and it really helped me explain where some of my traits and creativity stem from. 

There’s also a flavour of your east-London upbringing in your work. What does being an east Londoner mean to you?

Growing up there was a massive influence of Grime music, UK garage, funky house and Afrobeats. That’s Afrobeats with an ‘s’! I grew up at a time where Grime music was on the rise. I’ve watched it since its inception, which influenced how I heard and loved music. You know, some of my favourite rappers are D Double E, Kano and Potter Payper — they’re all from East London. Songs like “Sounds of the City” with Moses Boyd are so important because it speaks to my upbringing — fusing that drill sound with Afrobeat. There’s a massive Nigerian community in east London, especially growing up in Hackney, so it definitely shapes me being an east Londoner and the way I hear music, you know?

You then moved to New York — how was it adapting to that music scene and culture?

A couple years ago I decided that I could widen my musical community by moving to New York, and for the last few years I’ve been going back and forth between New York and London, then a little bit of LA. It just means that I’ve been able to widen the community of musicians and artists around me. I’m so community-led that everything I do is based around the people that uphold me, and allow me to stand and do what I do. Moving to New York was part of that. It allowed me to try new waters in America and adapt to that scene. It’s given me some amazing musical experiences and me shuttling between London and New York just reflects what I’ve viewed my life as — constant motion, finding inspiration and creating from that.

Even before Oríkì, you made your mark on the industry, performing with some huge artists. What’s the most monumental moment of your career so far and what has it taught you?

I’ve been fortunate enough to share the stage and collaborate with some of the most amazing and creative artists in the world, whether it’s on tours or musical directing or producing. Harry Styles Love on Tour was a fun play, and Charlie Puth’s most recent Something New tour was, too. Playing organ at Madison Square Garden for the New York Knicks and Rangers every other week is also fun to do. And producing for my friends like BenjiFlow, or playing a show with Alex Isley, or with Camila Cabello. I remember playing Stormzy’s first US performance on Jimmy Fallon, too. I’ve had so much fun over the last few years just being able to create across the breadth of music, sports and entertainment, and I’m just so grateful for all of the opportunities. All of these experiences really shaped my ability to create in different spaces. But, ultimately, the most monumental thing I’ve ever done really is bringing Oríkì into the world. 

As an artist, is there a particular philosophy you carry, or messaging you want to get across?

I think my biggest job is to capture moments in time and not let perfectionism stifle the releasing of art. I think sometimes it’s easy to fall victim to perfectionism, but trust your instincts and know that it will connect with the people that need to connect with it. Everything we have is inside of us. We don’t need anything externally — all we need is what’s been given to us, so trust and lean into your purpose and your calling.

Any upcoming projects or hopes for the future?

My hope is that Oríkì goes to the moon and reaches everybody that it needs to reach. I believe in this music so much and I had the greatest joy making it. My hope is that it gives people the same level of joy that it gave me.