{"id":70949,"date":"2021-02-04T16:47:06","date_gmt":"2021-02-04T15:47:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/?p=70949"},"modified":"2021-02-09T16:02:45","modified_gmt":"2021-02-09T15:02:45","slug":"joeboy-somewhere-between-beauty-and-magic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/joeboy-somewhere-between-beauty-and-magic\/","title":{"rendered":"Joeboy on beauty, magic, and being Africa\u2019s popstar"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>\u201c<em>After I finished recording about half of the album in Ghana, we were at this resort and me and my sound engineer Oxygen Mix went quad riding,<\/em>\u201d&nbsp;Joeboy recounts during our first interview, scheduled to discuss his much anticipated debut album. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He continues,&nbsp;\u201c<em>We stopped at the waterfront and then I asked him, \u2018Yo, what do you think we should name this album?\u2019 Oxygen Mix looked around and was like, \u2018somewhere between beauty and magic.\u2019 I said, \u2018Yeah sure, beauty and magic. The album signifies love, the production and the beats are magical, let\u2019s call it beauty and magic.\u2019 Oxygen Mix was like, \u2018nah, Somewhere Between Beauty and Magic, somewhere in the middle.\u2019 To me, it felt really deep, so we went with it. Big shoutout to Oxygen Mix, I think he\u2019s going to be naming all my projects.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Joeboy - Celebration (Official Video)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/q3qgtRFLByU?feature=oembed&#038;autoplay=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption> Joeboy &#8211; Celebration&nbsp; <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>In a phrase, young superstar Joeboy is living his best life. In under a year\u2019s time Joeboy has gone from cooking up songs in his dorm room to topping charts across the African continent and riding quads along Ghana\u2019s coast between studio sessions. Joeboy\u2019s charm and universal appeal as Nigeria\u2019s premier lover boy has also brought the artist international acclaim, a feat usually reserved for heavy hitters like Joeboy\u2019s mentor <a href=\"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/tag\/mr-eazi\/\">Mr Eazi<\/a>. But Joeboy is more than good looks, catchy pop songs, and a Mr Eazi protog\u00e9. In an Apple Music exclusive documentary <em>Becoming the African Pop Star<\/em>, Joeboy is hailed as just that, Africa\u2019s next big thing. Throughout the short film Joeboy recites his reflective poetry to images of world tours, music conferences, love drunk fans, and hotel suites.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201c<em>One day it just dawned on me. Everyone loves a young legend, and the young legend is actually me.<\/em>\u201d He says midway through the documentary with a laugh and a smile.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1010\" height=\"1515\" src=\"https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/d74bae7c-joeboy-2-1010x1515.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-70956\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/d74bae7c-joeboy-2-1010x1515.jpg 1010w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/d74bae7c-joeboy-2-759x1139.jpg 759w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/d74bae7c-joeboy-2-661x992.jpg 661w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/d74bae7c-joeboy-2-465x698.jpg 465w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/d74bae7c-joeboy-2-375x563.jpg 375w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/d74bae7c-joeboy-2.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"(min-width:1010px) 759px,100vw\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><figcaption>\u00a9 Godwin Moore<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The legend began with a series of explosive singles, \u201cBaby,\u201d \u201cBeginning\u201d and \u201cDon\u2019t Call Me Back\u201d starting in 2019 and crescendoing with his massive 2020 Mr Eazi and DJ Neptune collaboration on \u201cNobody\u201d. As the original artist inducted into Mr Eazi\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/tag\/empawa\/\">emPawa<\/a> Africa talent incubator, he has become a symbol of the initiative\u2019s success, surpassing all expectations and inspiring a generation of DIY African artists and entrepreneurs.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201c<em>It\u2019s really amazing, I\u2019ve learned a lot.<\/em>\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Joeboy says of the emPawa Africa program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201c<em>When I first started making music I used to think it was such a big deal to put my songs on DSPs, now I can do this all through my phone. I\u2019ve learned a lot about the music business too, and I\u2019m still learning. Me two years ago is different from me right now.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, just under two years since Joeboy\u2019s emPawa debut, he\u2019s ready to build the foundation of his legacy with his first 14 track LP, <em>Somewhere Between Beauty and Magic<\/em>.&nbsp; The album is a meandering exploration of love in all its forms. I asked Joeboy how someone so young knew so much about love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201c<em>I experienced love first from my parents, from people around me<\/em>,\u201d he says. \u201c<em>And I used to watch a lot of movies. Romance movies. I realized that love is one of the most beautiful things on earth. I believe if everyone could love each other unconditionally the world would be a better place. That\u2019s why I appreciate love so much.<\/em>\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This sincerity comes through in tracks like \u201cOshe\u201d, a celebration of marriage, or the more risqu\u00e9 \u201cSugar Mama\u201d, which needs no explanation. While \u201cOshe\u201d is smooth and comforting, \u201cSugar Mama\u201d is whimsical and winking. Each is an attempt to capture another space between beauty and magic. I asked Joeboy if some of his material comes from experience.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201c<em>Yeah, my experiences inspire me,<\/em>\u201d he says. \u201c<em>I have a lot of empathy so when I sing songs people mostly think I\u2019m singing about myself, but it\u2019s just someone else&#8217;s story. Songs like \u2018Beginning\u2019, I\u2019m singing about a friend that was in a situation like that. \u2018Even Don\u2019t Call Me Back\u2019 was a story about my friend.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Joeboy - Count Me Out (Lyric Visualizer)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/35DV32k6O-Q?feature=oembed&#038;autoplay=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption> Joeboy &#8211; Count Me Out&nbsp; <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cCount Me Out,\u201d the album\u2019s experimental opener, however, is nothing but personal.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201c<em>On that song I was just speaking my mind. That song is about me. It\u2019s so personal. It\u2019s my favourite because it sounds different from what I normally do on a single.<\/em>\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While powerhouse producers D\u00ebra, BeatsbyKO, Killertunes and E Kelly manage to maintain the Joeboy sound, the album also introduces a new aesthetic to the Joeboy universe.&nbsp; Whether it\u2019s the Spanish guitar on \u201cRunaway\u201d, or the Afro House driven \u201cOH\u201d, Joeboy\u2019s crooning is complimented with a healthy variety of instrumentation.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201c<em>One thing I love about this album is that everybody has their own favorite,<\/em>\u201d Joeboy remarks. \u201c<em>I think that\u2019s the sign of a good album when everyone has their own favorite. I\u2019m always excited about the way people pick songs that I wouldn\u2019t normally pick.<\/em>\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1010\" height=\"1515\" src=\"https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/c8c0af46-joeboy-3-1010x1515.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-70962\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/c8c0af46-joeboy-3-1010x1515.jpg 1010w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/c8c0af46-joeboy-3-759x1139.jpg 759w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/c8c0af46-joeboy-3-661x992.jpg 661w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/c8c0af46-joeboy-3-465x698.jpg 465w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/c8c0af46-joeboy-3-375x563.jpg 375w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/c8c0af46-joeboy-3.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"(min-width:1010px) 759px,100vw\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The album, set to launch and a long star studded road ahead, I asked Joeboy if he felt the pressure of the pop-star lifestyle.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201c<em>Sometimes, but not in recent times. I\u2019ve finally learned to just go with the flow and believe in myself. Once you believe in yourself and your actions, you\u2019ll be able to do anything without doubt. At the end of the day, you can only do so much. So no pressure. I just do my thing and keep it moving.<\/em>\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So what\u2019s different in the life of Joeboy since blowing up?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201c<em>The biggest difference in my life? Yo, I\u2019m richer [laughs]. My hair is longer. I got a new house, I got a new car. Life is good. More songs, more fans. And people are anticipating a lot from me, so that&#8217;s beautiful.<\/em>\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yes, Joeboy is living his best life and it bleeds through onto <em>Somewhere Between Beauty and Magic<\/em> where he generously shares a piece of this good-life with his listeners.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201c<em>Being a popstar is being someone who can influence people.<\/em>\u201d says Joeboy, reflecting on his newfound fame. \u201c<em>Someone that people see and look up to and think: This person makes me really happy. A popstar is someone that brings happiness to people. A popstar is king. A popstar is winner<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For now, Joeboy is certainly winning and is likely to hold the title of Nigeria\u2019s king crooner for some time.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can partake in the good life by listening to Joeboy\u2019s new album <em>Somewhere Between Beauty and Magic<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/empawaafrica.lnk.to\/JoeboySBBM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (s\u2019ouvre dans un nouvel onglet)\">here<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"720\" height=\"720\" src=\"https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/8d33902c-joeboy-album.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-70973\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/8d33902c-joeboy-album.jpeg 720w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/8d33902c-joeboy-album-100x100.jpeg 100w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/8d33902c-joeboy-album-661x661.jpeg 661w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/8d33902c-joeboy-album-465x465.jpeg 465w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/8d33902c-joeboy-album-375x375.jpeg 375w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/8d33902c-joeboy-album-200x200.jpeg 200w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/8d33902c-joeboy-album-85x85.jpeg 85w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/8d33902c-joeboy-album-73x73.jpeg 73w\" sizes=\"(min-width:1010px) 759px,100vw\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The newly christened African Pop Star releases his debut album Somewhere Between Beauty and Magic riding a wave of hit singles and the support of Mr Eazi\u2019s emPawa program.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":52,"featured_media":71040,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7833,7835],"tags":[20359,19691,5614],"location":[7994,8172],"yst_prominent_words":[32263,32262,32256,32265,32260,32258,32290,32273,8933,32271,32269,32270,32268,32272,8435,32264,32259,32257,32255,8508],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70949"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/52"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=70949"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70949\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/71040"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=70949"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=70949"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=70949"},{"taxonomy":"location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/location?post=70949"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=70949"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}