Nigerian Afrobeats sensation Joeboy refuses to be boxed and is entering a new era in his six-year music career.
The Lagos-born singer, real name Joseph Akinwale, believes the launch of his own record label, Young Legend, will change his trajectory. Only time will tell as he took this step last month.
The 26-year-old singer conjointly inked the deal with Warner Music Africa after the release of his two albums and two EPs under Nigerian superstar Mr Eazi's record label emPawa Africa.
Giving a taste of his fresh chapter a week ago he dropped a log drum, amapiano-infused single, Osadebe.
"I knew at 19 or 20 that this is the path I should take. It took me long to realise my talent. I didn't believe I could sing until I was 16 after hearing people from church and school telling me I was gifted with a great voice," he said.
"My father played a huge role in influencing my ear when it came to music. He would play Boyz II Men, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson and cross over to certain pop songs. He was diverse and maybe that's why I'm that way as an artist now."
The Body & Soul singer's journey to stardom began in 2017 after catching the eye of Mr Eazi with his rendition Shape of You by Ed Sheeran.
He blew up globally with over 2-billion streams across Apple, Spotify, YouTube, Boomplay, Deezer, and Audiomack. He is the second African artist to surpass 100-million streams on Boomplay.
"I've never looked back ever since I posted my first cover on social media six years ago. My journey has had so many pros and a few challenging moments but all of them are all worth it," he said.
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"Having the ability to create is the best gift one can ever ask for. Music has allowed me to have fun as well as entertain people, which is one of the major things about me as an artist."
On the list of Joeboy's dream collaborations are US rapper Post Malone, Canadian megastar Drake, newly minted Grammy winner Tyla and SA sensation Nkosazana Daughter.
"The plan going forward is to break out even more in terms of my sound. I don't want to be boxed anymore. I understand things take time but I'm more than ready to keep pushing my brand," he said.
"It's such a huge blessing to be one of the artists you see pushing such global sounds such as Afrobeats and amapiano. Back then as an African artist, it used to feel like a dream to be recognised, let alone work with big stars, but of late we've all seen that it is possible.
"The plan is to continue to be a part of this movement. I'd like to leave a legacy that people honour and respect the work that I put in as an artist for future aspiring artists."
