XOXO

Ever since he announced his arrival with the 2021 Sarz collab LV N ATTN, Lagos-hailing singer Lojay has been on a quest to write songs that cut to the very heart of the human condition. Accordingly, the romantic ills that inform the singer’s 2023 GANGSTER ROMANTIC mixtape and 2024’s JAE5-collaborative EP Loveless are critical to the narrative that unfurls across his debut album, XOXO. Its 14 songs are nods to the joy, lust and wistful regret that have shaped his evolution as a man. He makes it a point to confront the factor central to those increasing pressures on “Tenner”, and then finds some semblance of a resolution on the hip-hop-adjacent “Alright”. “I get many things wey I dey face/E no dey show for face,” Lojay confesses on the amapiano-inflected “Suru”. For all the talk of maturity and growth though, Lojay is keen to soundtrack a good time. Odeal dials in for a spirited dedication to sexy women on “Mwah!” and Colombian singer Feid joins for a wickedly sweet fusion of reggaeton and street pop on “Body”. And then there is “Shiver”, its smoky vocals and electro-influenced synths carrying Lojay’s admiration for the girls who are down for a good time.