Posted by Afro-pop star Tolani is carving out her own lane.
An artist who allows her pop ambitions to intermingle with her heritage, the Nigerian riser’s formidable touch has made her an international presence.
Born in Lagos, bred in London, Tolani is part of a generation re-shaping West African sounds in a trans-Atlantic context.
New single ‘Badman’ is the latest viral smash to emerge from the studio, and its trailblazing path is set to match previous phenomenons ‘BA MI LO’ and ‘Liar’.
Clash tracked down this genre-blending sensation to chat cultural obsessions…
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Book…
I like to escape reality for a little while, I think it’s healthy… and so fantasy fiction is probably my favourite genre. I find them to be crazy exciting because authors can do really interesting things when they are not constrained to writing about what’s possible.
When I was in boarding school, I discovered a novel series called Earth’s Children by Jean Auel and I was totally obsessed. Even though I’ve read many great books since then it stays one of my favorites because it was my first mind blowing reading experience, I read all six books back to back in like two months.. I love, love it.
TV…
Hmm the last thing I watched that I adored is a show called Kingdom… a K-drama series based on a Korean comic series. It’s this heady mix of political drama amidst a zombie apocalypse with a historical setting.. power grabbing plots, intrigue and zombie gore mixed with historical culture & gorgeous costumes. Very nearly perfect TV for me.
Music…
This is a really tough one.. it is utterly impossible for me to choose a favourite album because I have so many that I love for different reasons, at different times in my life… I’m currently obsessed with one song at the moment. Alice Charter-two of us. Can’t watch the video without my skin raising.
Film…
I like watching period films, based in another time… and preferable in another place. Filled with cultures other than my own that I can get lost in.
So one of my all-time favourites, that ticks all those boxes, is The Last Samurai. Even though the plot is relatively simple; a classic anti-hero to hero story, the telling of it is completely poetic to me – a story of sacrifice, duty, honour and belonging told in stunning visuals. And let’s not even talk about the absolutely phenomenal score by my godfather Hans Zimmer!
The experience of the movie doesn’t end with the credits for me, it stays with me a while. Totally inspirational.
Gadget…
I’m actually a bit of a gadget junkie. I’ve got too many…
Some really useful ones like my fitbit, some fun ones like this TC Helicon vocal device that lets me modulate my voice .. keeps me busy for hours! Haha!
And then I have some completely ridiculous ones like these weird onion goggles to stop me crying when I cut up onions (so silly, I know). But right now I’m really taken with those therapy gun things that pummel you to within an inch of your life. I’m a huge fan of deep tissue massage and having your own portable masseuse gadget is just epic.
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