{"id":113131,"date":"2022-10-25T10:16:37","date_gmt":"2022-10-25T08:16:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/?p=113131"},"modified":"2022-10-25T10:16:48","modified_gmt":"2022-10-25T08:16:48","slug":"yinka-bernie-something-new","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/yinka-bernie-something-new\/","title":{"rendered":"Trying Something New with Yinka Bernie"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you\u2019re an alt\u00e9 lover, a smooth vocals enthusiast, fine lyrics connoisseur, then get to know Yinka Bernie. 25-year-old Yinka Reuben Onaduja is the perfect blend of emotional writing and nostalgic melodies. His latest release, conveniently titled Something New<\/em>, is so intimate it\u2019s like Yinka Bernie is sharing a secret with you. His deep, jazzy voice and the recurrent humming are soothing. In five songs and twelve short minutes, the Nigerian alt\u00e9 act is able to convey messages and drag out the kind of emotions only a good therapy session would. A bit dramatic? Sure, but you won’t get it until you take the time to listen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although his music is open, you won’t find much about his personal life on the internet. So who is Yinka Bernie? When asked to introduce himself, Yinka listed a few things: he’s a producer, a recording artist, and a sound engineer. That’s not it! He’s also a web and app developer and runs Egwu, one of Lagos’ best record shops. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bernie didn\u2019t grow up in the tumultuous city but further north in Oyo State, in the more peaceful Ibadan. \u201cI think Ibadan is super calm, like the complete opposite of Lagos. Super calm. Everyone is calm, the environment is very serene. It\u2019s a very calm city\u201d. <\/em>He also notes that his formative years in this space shaped his art. \u201cI think it really translates into my sound. I think my sound is also calm and serene. Not too much going on, just easy\u201d<\/em>. To escape Lagos’ chaos and constant noise, Yinka answered my questions in the comfort of his car. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Yinka Bernie by Bola Agbaje<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Music came to Yinka early on, his apparent love for physical records drawing him in. \u201cI think it\u2019s when I started buying CDs in, like, junior high school. Once I started owning CDs, music just fascinated me: the making of music, the artists, and watching music videos, \u2026 I mean, I didn\u2019t particularly know I was going to be an artist but I knew I wanted to do something around that because like I said, I started as a producer.\u201d <\/em>  With a hint of pride still showing on his face, he explains that he started producing in 2012. He was friends with the older boys in school, so he used to make beats with them as a cool kid would. \u201cWe were talking a lot about music and somehow I knew that \u2018okay, I think I really want to do this’ but at the time, it was still passive. When I knew for sure was in university, when I started making music in 2014\/2015. I was like, ‘yeah, I will do it, for sure.\u2019”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n


And he started strong, exploring the sekere\u2019s many notes and afrobeat roots on the experimental Fela Obsession EP<\/a><\/em>. His productions sampled the genre\u2019s founding father Fela Kuti<\/a>\u2019s speeches. But Bernie\u2019s influences go even further than the afrobeat blueprint. \u201cFor influences, I would say a lot of the UK Jazz scene. Like Tom Misch, Masego, FKJ. Just anything influenced by jazz and soul music. These types of artists. And back in Nigeria, I\u2019d say I\u2019m influenced by the older stuff: Lagbaja, Sunny Ade, just every percussion music.\u201d<\/em> It transposes in the precise way Yinka Bernie places his baritone voice on the instrumentals, letting the lyrics sink in and the music breathe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Music came to Yinka early on, his apparent love for physical records drawing him in. \u201cI think it\u2019s when I started buying CDs in, like, junior high school. Once I started owning CDs, music just fascinated me: the making of music, the artists, and watching music videos, \u2026 I mean, I didn\u2019t particularly know I was going to be an artist but I knew I wanted to do something around that because like I said, I started as a producer.\u201d <\/em>  With a hint of pride still showing on his face, he explains that he started producing in 2012. He was friends with the older boys in school, so he used to make beats with them as a cool kid would. \u201cWe were talking a lot about music and somehow I knew that \u2018okay, I think I really want to do this’ but at the time, it was still passive. When I knew for sure was in university, when I started making music in 2014\/2015. I was like, ‘yeah, I will do it, for sure.\u2019”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n


And he started strong, exploring the sekere\u2019s many notes and afrobeat roots on the experimental Fela Obsession EP<\/a><\/em>. His productions sampled the genre\u2019s founding father Fela Kuti<\/a>\u2019s speeches. But Bernie\u2019s influences go even further than the afrobeat blueprint. \u201cFor influences, I would say a lot of the UK Jazz scene. Like Tom Misch, Masego, FKJ. Just anything influenced by jazz and soul music. These types of artists. And back in Nigeria, I\u2019d say I\u2019m influenced by the older stuff: Lagbaja, Sunny Ade, just every percussion music.\u201d<\/em> It transposes in the precise way Yinka Bernie places his baritone voice on the instrumentals, letting the lyrics sink in and the music breathe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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