(From left to right) Afsana Khan, Steel Banglez and Lojay collaborate on “Mohobbat.” Photo: Courtesy of The Orchard
U.K. desi artist Steel Banglez is known for all kinds of top-notch team-ups and his new song “Mohobbat” brings together Nigerian singer-songwriter Lojay and Punjabi artist Afsana Khan. Lojay’s distinctly sweet and wavy but resolute vocals take centerstage after Khan’s hook, all going over Steel Banglez’s amapiano-inspired production that makes for a perfect nocturnal listen for broken hearts.
Over an audio call, Lojay – who recently earned a Grammy nomination in the Best African Music Performance category for his collab with American R&B star Chris Brown and fellow Afrobeats artist Davido on “Sensational” – calls it an “interesting opportunity” to work with the likes of Banglez and Khan. “I feel like the Indian music scene and the Afrobeats music scene are both developing. Even though they have been here for a while and doing their thing, they’re also just developing on the global stage. They’re both just big markets for people that actually enjoy music and culture, so I saw it as an amazing opportunity to connect with a different culture,” he adds.
He joined Banglez in the U.K. at his studio (“I got the chance to speak to Afsana Khan over FaceTime,” he adds) and recalls the session with the producer was a warm welcome. Lojay says with a laugh, “I don’t know if a lot of people know this, but Steel Banglez is a very homely person. He really took care of me and my friends. He made Nigerian food!” In addition to sitting down to have a bit of jollof rice, Banglez played the song for Lojay and explained what the song was about. “I just blended everything I was thinking about at that moment in time. Making the song was effortless,” he adds.
Lojay started in 2016 and went on to score hits like “Tonongo” and “Monalisa” in 2021 with producer Sarz. Building on the momentum, the artist put out an EP called Gangster Romantic in 2023 and most recently in October this year, released a double-sided single, “Falling/Unleash.” He’s clearly been pushing the boundaries further, intrigued by Indian music. He says “Mohobbat” opened him up to understand “new melodic scales.” He says, “Indian music has a lot of pentatonic scales and they’re not used elsewhere and feels distinct. Diving into that world and understanding those scales was just such an exciting experience. That was the most unique thing about his song.”
Nigerian singer-songwriter Lojay. Photo: Courtesy of The Orchard
Like many Nigerians hooked on to Bollywood, Lojay’s introduction to Indian music started as a kid, watching movies and hearing the songs. It was around 2021 that he got introduced Punjabi hip-hop star Sidhu Moose Wala. “I was a fan from the first time I heard his melodies and the strength in his voice. I didn’t know what he was saying, but I was a fan,” Lojay says. Since then, he’s been regularly browsing Indian streaming charts “to see what’s going on.”
Now that there are plenty of Afrobeats-inspired songs in India, we ask Lojay if there’s anything similar between Indian music and Nigerian music. He points out a lot of drum work incorporated in both countries being similarly off-beat and says artists like Rema, CKay, Babyboy AV have been inspired by Indian melodic scales for their songs.
Lojay is working to put out an album in early 2025, with the first two singles are “Falling” and “Unleash.” He adds, “We’re getting to the end of the year – I just wanna connect with my fans, perform for them and build for the upcoming album. It’s my debut album and it’s going to be an amazing body of work. More than anything, it reflects the Lojay that everyone loves, but it also dives into different facets of me and I think that’s the beauty of it.”
Watch the lyric video for “Mohobbat” below.
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