Iyanya Onoyom Mbuka, well known by his stage name, “Iyanya” is one of Mavin Record label’s many signees. Like is a hit-track where the artiste features stars such as Davido and Kizz Daniel. The hit is a comeback of sorts for Iyanya as he has been on a hiatus from the music scene.
In the inception of his career, Iyanya worked at a hotel where he sang karaoke at a local bar he managed. The artist started to develop his vocal abilities at local bars, some of which were Fiesta Fries Bar, Mirage Nite Club, and West-Life. The artiste has hits to his name that bring a tingly nostalgic sensation because some of his big hits were released “way back when”, the likes of Kukere, Sexy Mama and Ur Waist that remind listeners of the good ol’ times.
He gained prominence after he released his debut album, My Story 2011, which came right after he won the first ever edition of Project Fame West Africa. The singles on this album included Love Truly, and No Time. ” This album debut was quickly followed by his second album release, Desire, which launched the artiste to stardom. The album housed some of Iyanya’s biggest hits till date.
Like features two giants in the Nigerian music industry, Kizz Daniel who is popularly known for hits like Yeba, Buga, Jaho, Flex, Oshe, Lie, and Cough and Davido, a big time hit-maker known for hits such as Fall, Assurance, Skelewu, FIA, Dodo, Gobe, Risky, Assurance and a host of others way too numerous to mention. What happens when a hit artiste features the star power of two other hit artistes? They make history.
Like is a great song, it is however a wonder that it is not making as big a buzz as some fans would have expected.
The hit-track has all the hallmarks of a great afropop banger. It is sprinkled with unique vocalisations by the featuring artists, your typical afro-tempo vibe with heavy reverberations here and there, just what listeners need to move their bodies. The producer, Reward Beatz, finished work on this single – the sound is refined, produced to near-perfection.
Like seems to have it all going, the right features, relatability and the lyrics. The artiste talks about love in its purest and simplest form. He explains how his lover stood by him when he had nothing.
The lyrics go…
Back
when I had no car (ayy)
You
still be ridin’ for me
Back
when I had no raba (ayy)
You
still be spendin’ feelings
Back
when I had no buzz (back when I had)
You
still be stannin’ me (ayy)
Back
when I had nobody, I had you
Oh
yeah
Quite relatable! The line that
stands out the most is: Back when I had nobody, I had you!
This is because of how easy it is to relate to, so many ‘it’ couples of today were once in this same position and some others are currently working their way up the ladder.
Like is outstanding and could easily be the next big thing on the airways. Be amongst the first to catch the Like-fever give it a listen today.
Didi Dan-Asisah is an art enthusiast and critic. She lives in Lagos.
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.
