Itosh Mayana: The Afrofusion Pioneer from Lagos

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Itosh Mayana: The Afrofusion Pioneer from Lagos

écrit par ITOSH MAYANA et WhatsMusic.de

Itosh Mayana, an Afrofusion-Afrodancehall & Afrobeats artist from Lagos, Nigeria, has been shaping the music scene since 2008 with his unique blend of African Dancehall. With hits like « FLEEK » and « BEAT THEM ALL, » Itosh’s journey has been marked by passion, innovation, and resilience. His love for music began at age 5, influenced by a guitar from India and later inspired by international Nigerian artists. Despite facing challenges, such as having his instrumental sold to another artist and witnessing a similar sound gain popularity through Burna Boy, Itosh remains steadfast in his claim to the Afrofusion genre. His song « WORK IT 4D GRAM » holds a special place in his heart, reflecting his roots, style, and spirituality. As he looks to the future, Itosh envisions collaborations with music legends and a successful tour.

Entretien avec ITOSH MAYANA

Parle-nous de toi, qui es-tu et d'où viens-tu ?

Itosh Mayana is an Afrofusion-Afrodancehall & Afrobeats artist from Lagos-Nigeria. I recently released a new single titled; FLEEK. I have also received international awards for songs like: « BEAT THEM ALL » , « WHAT YOU DO 2ME » ; from his recent album. I’ve got a unique vocal dexterity & since 2008 I’ve been doing a futuristic type of African Dancehall; a style similar to what BURNABOY does today. The idea is always to create the next thing people need to hear.

Comment est née ta passion pour la musique ? Qui sont tes idoles ?

Music to me is a natural born talent. Since I was 5 years old I fell in love with a guitar my dad brought from India and started freestyling & mumbling to it, then my late dad advised me to pursue it professionally cos he saw the passion I had & my vocals easily blended with the guitar. However, impact of successful Nigerian international artists like; Lighthouse family, Seal, Nas, SADE, 2baba & Dr Alban inspired me to pursue music as a career. My greatest musical influences are SEAN PAUL, KANYE, MAJOR LAZER, BUSY SIGNAL, AKON, DBANJ, MOVADO, VYBZ CARTEL.

Quel genre de musique fais-tu ?

Liked I mentioned I’m an Afrofusion artist a genre which I coined in 2008 January while rehearsing with a gospel Jazz band in my moms school, I got the inspiration to write a song that has some key elements of popular African sound/black music; including: Femi kuti’s type of Afrobeats chorus, Pidgin lyrics delivered with patois style, Yoruba punchlines, makkosa hooks, reggaton kicks & most especially Caribbean rhythm. It sounded technical but achievable and I created the song « Int’l Water Master ».. This let me to the lowest point of my career 2008-2011, the beginning of my music career, when instrumental of the song was sold to a more popular artist #TerryG by Dollarsyno the producer I was recording with. He disappeared & 2 weeks later I heard my instrumental on radio & the Deejay announced it’s titled FREEMADNESS by TerryG. I was broken & didn’t get to record again until 2011 when I reproduced the song & went to do a 40 club tour with HEINEKEN in porthacort with radio campaign. That year Mr 2kay & Duncan Mighty were the hottest act in the city. But to my amazement later in 2012 February friends & fans started calling me from Porthacort that my song have blown up, only for me to hear it’s a song titled « LIKE TO PARTY » from a new artist named BURNABOY who sounded so much like me & coincidentally was in same city Porthacort when I went to promote my song the previous year. I was totally amazed when Burna started claiming to be the only artist doing the genre, not after recovering from the shock that TerryG stole my sound. So I created Afrofusion not BURNABOY; he only made it popular & I believe it’s time to take it to the next level.

Quelle est la chanson la plus importante pour toi ? Quel message veux-tu transmettre à l'auditeur ?

« WORK IT 4D GRAM » is a song that’s so special to me and talks about my root « ONDO STATE » , my style of music « Afrofusion », my love for fashion cos I’m also a designer & most especially my spirituality cos the chorus is a self affirmation words & a conscious prayer. Blended in a smooth Afrobeats Dancehall vibe. It’s a song you’ll definitely put on repeat.

Pourquoi un auditeur qui ne te connaît pas devrait-il écouter ta musique ?

I don’t do boring music and like my fans say my song always gets them in the mood. Reason I dropped my new song #Fleek ; it will definitely put you in the mood when you listen..as the lyrics say; « YUH BODY ON THE BOOTHLIGHT, YU PUT ME IN THE MOOD NOW ». I just can’t do boring songs.

Quels sont tes projets futurs ? Où te vois-tu dans 5 ans ?

In 5years I see myself working with all my icons & legends like WYCLEF, AKON, KANYE & collaborating with the younger generation. I also look forward to my first tour.

Raconte à nos lecteurs un épisode amusant qui s'est produit dans ta carrière d'artiste.

Sometimes in 2021 my Facebook page got hacked & some female followers I’ve never met donated above 100K within 1 day to the hacker after posting that I needed funds for medical treatment. I later commented via my manager’s page to claim it’s false. However, I was shocked to know I had fans that went that far for me without ever meeting or knowing them. It also showed me a perspective of what it means to be loved a a musician and celebrity.

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Soumets ton interview!