Ruger has released his second EP, The Second Wave, featuring Dior. Being the last song on this EP, it is by far, in my opinion, the most commercially appealing. Like many Nigerian artists, Ruger, in this song, blends Afropop with the smooth strings of dancehall to create a tuneful song about the realities of celebrity life.

It is not a serious song by any means. What it has in playfulness more than fulfills the very Nigerian need to dance to ridiculously melodious songs. It is not a hard club dance song with its mid-tempo pace, but it is the sort of song that instantly alleviates the mood and can be used as good background music while one is, for instance, stuck in traffic or catching a late Friday night drink with friends.

Ruger, christened Michael Adebayo piga kelele, was born on 23 September 1999. He was discovered by the D’prince and given the stage name “Ruger” by him. Prior to this, he had developed an interest in music from his teenage years. He was a member of his school’s boy band in his earlier days. Also, he was a member of his church’s choir. He was signed into Jonzing World and Sony Music Entertainment UK, in a joint venture with Columbia Records in January 2021.

Ruger burst on the scene during the pandemic and has stayed relevant with the release of two EPs, with The Second Wave being a better EP than Pandemic. While one could worry that Ruger might end up in the box of Afropop, it may be unfounded as Ruger has noticeably improved his craft. He is fine-tuning his sound and getting better with each release.

How does Dior measure up with the rest of his songs? I think it is head and shoulders above the rest. He is obviously having fun with this song and it is infectious enough for the listener to catch. For Ruger, it seems the only place he has to go is up.

Didi Dan-Asisah is an art enthusiast and critic. She lives in Lagos.

Ayodele Johnson

Ayodelé is a Lagos-based journalist and the Content and Editorial Coordinator at Meiza. All around the megacity, I am steering diverse lifestyle magazine audiences with ingenious hacks and insights that spur fast, informed decisions in their busy lives.