Lagos Girls Rule The World: Chatting with Nigeria’s Newest ‘It’ Girls on the Symbiosis Nature of Style and Music
As of late, afro beats and West African alté culture have been warmly embraced by Western audiences. This increased appetite for modernised African music has led to a surge in artists and visionaries who hail from Nigeria’s cultural capital, Lagos. In particular, artists like DEELA and Brazy have garnered thousands of listeners, with their fan bases growing steadily almost daily. These women have created communities of people who are obsessed with the aesthetics of Black excellence and the subversive self-expression of their favourite artists.
My first intro to this musical subgenre was with DEELA and T6lu’s song FIT released in February 2021. The song’s whispery sound and punchy lyrics are gripping, and the melodic beat makes it a surefire hit. When I asked the girls about their process, T6lu explains that the song was a result of the pair “just vibing”.
“Yeah I just went to hers, and we made it in a day,” adds DEELA, who also cites Young Nudy as a major influence, admiring how he experiments with cadence and flow. Apparently, their songwriting is all about casual improv, but with authoritative lines like “I come in, I rock his world ”, feeling almost premeditated, I find it hard to believe.
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More recently, the song Attends by Brazy has become a hit in Nigeria, especially on TikTok, where it has been used in over 35,000 videos. On the track, Brazy speaks four languages: English, Yoruba, French, and Mandarin. Brazy notes this is far from an intentional move, “The way I write, I never prewrite. I say what I have in my head, and if you translate it makes sense”. This is exactly why lyrics like “最好小心台阶” don’t feel amiss in the wider context of the track, even if they’re a standout for the genre.
What is unusual, however, is the story behind putting this song out. Brazy said when she recorded Attends she was unwell and. didn’t even hear the final version before it was released. It was only at her performance in Paris with Santi, in October of 2022, seeing the crowd’s reaction to the track that she knew she had a hit on her hands. Once again, the casual approach to a music career is met with success.
To me, these artists’ image has always been a driving force in their popularity and appeal. The way each of their artistic identities coalesces with their unique personal styles is part of the reason their music has gained so much adoration in such a short time. All of my interviewees agree:
L0la: “The way I approach style is how I approach music, I like what I like”
Brazy: “Music and fashion are very spontaneous, I like to add more and more until I have what I want”
DEELA: “Generally I approach both with a calm attitude, if it looks good I’ll wear it, same with my music”
T6lu: “Both are heavily influenced by Rap culture, the 2000s, and video vixens. I like to dress sexy, with my tummy out and my music reflects that”
Blnde: “My love for fashion directly informs my sound and style of performance, everything is very glamorous and sexy while still being fun”
Glamorous and sexy is exactly how I would describe artist Blnde’s eponymous label Blnde Studio. Blnde tells me that her brand is directly inspired by performance wear, hence the slogan “Life As Performance”. The racy silhouettes, paired with the elevated colour palette of her pieces make them perfect for any It Girl, especially their founder and self-proclaimed “Super bad bitch”. Blnde’s latest song ‘S.B.B’ was born out of curiosity, Blnde says that her grandmother had a dancing competition and “asked me to show her some new moves”.
“I’ve evolved, learned, and absorbed more, and my music reflects this stage of my life”
After her grandmother won the competition, Blnde decided to try her hand at making her very own dance track. Her latest performance at Homecoming festival in Lagos featured impressive choreography and an outfit designed by her. The symbiotic relationship between Blnde’s fashion and music means that she’ll only be scaling up, telling me “It’s definitely Blnde world.”
Rapper Ytboutthataction (Yt) has also released music recently with her latest EP “Love & Vex”. In the process of recording, Yt tells me she’s a much different person than when she dropped her last project, explaining “I’ve evolved, learned, and absorbed more, and my music reflects this stage of my life”. With this project, Yt is aiming for a chilled vibe and this playful attitude can be seen on the tracks like ‘cool story bro’, with the chorus based on a
nursery rhyme her mum used to read to her. That song is steadily gaining traction on social media, with some fans describing her genre-bending sound as “Alté Opium”.
Another front-runner on the scene is L0la - unlike others on the list I wouldn’t call her a rapper, instead, she has the makings of a pop star. Her song Pretty&fun has already been featured in a Mugler campaign, and her extraordinary style alongside riveting performances indicates this is just the beginning. In 3 words L0la would describe her sound as “emotional, electric and fun” telling me she’s an “emotional baby” -Don’t worry L0la, aren’t we all. She teams up with her bestie Brazy on tracks like Siren to deliver a seductive and smooth blend of Hip-Hop and house music that leaves listeners craving more.
Undoubtedly, these girls have been making waves on the music scene, and when I asked them if they felt there was a particular reason, the consensus was their confidence. Brazy confirms that they’re a “package deal” and “people love how we’re all friends together, we look hot.” She adds “Even if they don’t like the song, they’ll like our outfits”
Words: Ayomikun Fagbemi
