Fireboy DML says Afrobeats lacks lyrical substance

Nigerian music sensation, Adedamola Adefolahan, popularly known as Fireboy DML has opined that the Afrobeats genre lacks lyrical substance and genuine emotional expression.

 According to him, Afrobeats is primarily about “vibes”, emphasizing the need to infuse the genre with “pure soul and lyricism,” elements which he believes were absent in the preceding Afrobeats landscape.

Speaking in a recent interview on BET, the ‘Peru’ hitmaker, opined that in order to create music that truly connects with listeners, his fellow afrobeats musicians would have to delve deeper into their emotions and experiences to produce music that resonates on a profound level with listeners.

In the words of the crooner who doubles as a songwriter, “The Afrobeats scene before I came in was built on vibes. But I realised that there was something lacking, and that was pure soul and lyricism in our music.”

Fireboy went on to reveal that he has introduced a new sub-genre of Afrobeats characterised by profound lyricism and soulful melodies.

“That was what I brought into the game. That’s why I call it Afro-Life — it’s Afrobeats that has some depth to it.”