Our Album of the Week is Some Nights I Dream of Doors: the debut full length release from Nigerian singer Obongjayar. He’s an artist who, at the time, was deservedly seeing the spotlight for his epic features and collaborative work, such as with Little Simz for Point and Kill, and Giggs for Don’t Be Shy – but less so for his solo work.
Some Nights I Dream of Doors was released on the 13th May 2022, via September Recordings, with production by the talented Barney Lister, who has also written/produced for artists including Giggs, Celeste, Joy Crookes, and Olivia Dean. This LP was a solo project a long time coming, following six years of singles and EPs, during which Obongjayar honed his sound to create the electronic, cinematic, Afrobeat-inspired sound and mood associated with the album.
Living in Nigeria until the age of 17, but growing up listening to American hip-hop, Obongjayar initially adopted an Americanised accent in his work, before being convinced to embrace a crossed over Nigerian-British accent, which was more reflective of his roots. His upbringing and experiences with topics including family, religion, and spirituality serve to enhance his unique sound, which is extremely diverse – incorporating elements of Afrobeat, electronic, jazz, soul, and spoken word. His tracks are elaborately layered with dynamic vocals, pulsating drums, electropop synths, and endless amounts more interweaved between. There is also a very welcome sax feature from Nubya Garcia, on Wrong For It. It’s the album’s only song with a ‘featured’ artist, but still feels very much at home on this record; it remains Obongjayar’s track – just embellished with Garcia’s rich tones.
I truly fell in love with Some Nights I Dream of Doors in the summer of 2023 (a year late to the party, I know), after seeing Obongjayar on a bit of a whim at Glastonbury Festival – only really being familiar with him from his Little Simz collaboration. However, this was probably the best decision I made all weekend. Over 18 months on, his performance still sticks in my mind the most out of any I saw that weekend. Obongjayar’s stage presence is phenomenal, and he brought his music to life with a passion so strong it absolutely encapsulated me for the hour he was on stage.
Interestingly though, if you’d have been at Fred Again..’s headline set on the Other Stage just the evening earlier, one song would have sounded familiar. The producer debuted one of his (now) biggest tracks at the festival in 2023 – adore u. This is, essentially, a remix of an Obongjayar song.
I Wish It Was Me is one of the slower songs on Some Nights I Dream Of Doors and is a beautiful tribute to Obongjayar’s brother. In the way he sings, speaks and cherishes the words, you can tell it means a lot to him, personally. Fred Again.. clearly heard something different though. The producer remixed the song to create his version, which was released in August the same year – just a couple of months after I first came across Obongjayar’s work. It has since undoubtedly become a modern day dance anthem, having reached nearly 200 million streams on Spotify, and almost every dance floor across the UK. Despite Fred Again..’s undeniable genius in transforming this song into his version, the foundations this was built on very much belong to Obongjayar, and it just goes to show how talented of a songwriter and storyteller he is, and the corners his brilliant music is able to reach.
Waxing Lyrical 