The Nigerian artist’s second LP began as a four-song project before growing into a 15-track reflection of where he is now.
That willingness to experiment runs through Starlife. On “Clear,” an upbeat, more aggressive record, Victony pushes beyond the smooth, airy vocals and R&B touch he typically associates with his music.
Starlife also came together through collaboration, with BNXN, Blaqbonez, YKB, Babyboy AV, Young Jonn and FOLA appearing across the album. Victony describes himself as “a very collaborative artist,” often thinking after a song is recorded about whether another voice could add something to it.
The choices are intentional, rooted in finding artists who can bring their own sound into his world.
Victony says he and his manager began building that vision for LP highlight “SLICK.” The experimental collision of R&B, Afrobeats and hip-hop has since become one of his biggest solo records, surpassing 40 million global streams and earning a cover from Summer Walker.
It also gave Victony his first solo No. 1 on Nigeria’s Official Charts, while reaching No. 1 on the U. K. Official Afrobeats Chart and No. 2 on Billboard’s U. S.
Once Starlife is out in the world, Victony will turn his attention to performing it. He says a tour is coming next year and is teasing a return to London and New York.
Before then, however, there is The Bonfire Experience, his annual hometown show, which launched in 2023 as a way to reconnect with the fans who have been with him from the beginning.
For all the milestones that have come with that growth, Victony is particularly proud of simply making it to album number two, especially because he never planned to make Starlife this year in the first place.
And perhaps that’s why his hopes for Starlife aren’t really about what comes next. The record captures where he is now, but Victony ultimately wants it to close some of the distance between himself and an audience that has grown far beyond Lagos.
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