Afrobeat-amapiano fusion “Bolo” will dance E’MAJOR and his music into heads everywhere
By Kurt Beyers
For listeners who have not yet been introduced to the pulse-inspiring vibe in the Afrobeat fusion of Nigerian American artist E’MAJOR, his new release “Bolo” will dance his music into their consciousness.
“Bolo,” dropping September 20, is an upbeat track with a low-key, repetitive keyboard melody behind forceful, changeable beats carried by a variety of instruments. It can make you dance in your chair.
“‘Bolo’ is danceable music that just gets you to — you know — just dance,” he said. “It gets you to the right mood, it gets into your head.”
That is exactly what it’s intended to do, what it does, which is get into your head. The title, “Bolo,” is Nigerian slang for the brain.
“In this case, it’s talking about a girl who pleases you, makes you feel good. It’s really sweet words, telling someone that you love — your wife, your girl — that whatever she’s doing, how she’s looking or how sexy, she’s making your head go crazy.”
The way you do me, I no know
Dey make me dancey awilo
I know I used to be a player
But I retire like papilo
…
Omo you don scatter my bolo bolo
Scatter my bolo you do scatter my bolo bolo
He says his music style has been called eclectic because he has fertilized his Afrobeat-R&B roots with pop, hip-hop, highlife, contemporary gospel and others. In “Bolo,” he includes amapiano.
“It has a lot of amapiano, a feel-good vibe,” he said. “It’s a feel-good type of song, a blend of Afrobeat and amapiano, and you can hear a little bit of reggaeton in that, too, because that has been married with Afrobeat and amapiano.”
E’MAJOR, a singer, songwriter and instrumentalist, lives in Minneapolis. He has years of experience as a lead vocalist for traveling bands, including an a cappella group, and later as a contemporary gospel artist. In 2019, he signed with Motion Major Records as an Afrofusion/R&B artist.
The Afrobeat/R&B tag does not limit him. R&B is his main thing, he says, but his “eclectic” mix includes jazz and one of his tracks, “Aladdin,” has a touch of what sounds very much like American folk banjo played on a native string instrument.
“I am a collector when it comes to music, having been blessed to have all the backgrounds with highlife and R&B and reggae and all that. You can hear a little bit of all those genres in my music.”
He says his lyrics “explore themes of love, struggle, joy and success,” but understanding the lyric message is not necessary to experience a pure enjoyment of the music. E’MAJOR’s musical fusion is intensely pleasurable listening purely for the sound. The lyrics, sung in his expressive, wide-ranging tenor voice, become another musical instrument.
The international variety of his musical influences and roots are also a factor in his ambition.
“I’m looking to go worldwide. That’s always the goal for me, and the music coming out from me has an international appeal. It’s carefully crafted that way to appeal to everybody.”
The beats are the baseline.
“You can listen to the words, or maybe some hook in a song gets you,” he said, but then he explains that the music, the lyrics and the singing go all together to create the vibe of the beats, and it may be all Afrobeat or one or the other of his multiple fusions.
“It’s done that way to appeal to an international perspective, because you want your music to be felt around the world.”
He wants, he said, to make good music that “touches life.”
“I want to make people feel good and sing with a large, live band, performing in places like the O2 Arena. That’s really where my eye is.”
He has an EP out (streaming on YouTube) and is working toward an album. First will come some more singles. He has “tons” of songs to work with, he said.
“Bolo” is an introduction to him and his music.
“I believe people are going to be able to feel the song. There’s no place you can’t play it — at the clubs or anywhere. I want to be able to get into all these different demographics, have them listen to the song and ask questions. ‘Who’s this guy E’MAJOR? What’s he all about?’ This song is great, and my goal is to get the song in people’s faces and start a conversation about who E’MAJOR is.”
Listen for yourself. Explore E’MAJOR on all platforms for new music, videos, and social posts.
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