Reekado Banks has been taking the African music scene by storm for nearly half a decade, bringing his unique flare to the worldwide afrobeats movement. In 2016, Reekado Banks' album Spotlight landed the number 10 spot on Billboard's World Album Chart.
In 2019, he performed in the 20,000 capacity 02 Arena for the Starboy Fest. In that same year, his single, “RORA” was listed as one of Apple Music's best songs of the year, and he was enlisted by YouTube as one of four afrobeats artists to receive priority support from the video streaming platform.
The announcement of his new five track project Off the Record and upcoming single "Need More" featuring Kida Kudz and EO scheduled to drop this Friday has fans hyped. We caught up with the superstar 24 hours after the announcement, delved into the creative decisions around the project, featured artists, effects of COVID-19 and more.
Growing up in Lagos, Nigeria where did you get the creative influence for your stage name and your passion for music?
"Growing up in Lagos was a big vibe. I grew up in a church, my Dad is a pastor and he used to really like to make music. I remember he used to come up with different songs all the time, this was a real inspiration to me. Every person in my family knew how to sing and make music actually except for my Mum, but yeah I was always around music. In Lagos, there's so much to learn with a new experience every time you step out of your house, I'm very happy to have grown up here.
Aside from your Dad, who would you say are your musical inspirations?
"I really really really like Michael Jackson. I like his music, I like the fact that he stood out, and he's just the definition of a superstar to me. Chris Brown is another one, with 15 years in the game and so many hits, his versatility is something I really admire."
With the announcement of your new five track EP, how did you settle on the name of the project Off the record?
"The last project I put out was way back in 2016. So a lot of anticipation for my next album has built up, and I'd already revealed that the title for that was gonna be Daddy to Many. Luckily, my manager came through with The title Off the Record; which bodes well since Off the Record is serving as a prelude to my next album. The five songs on the EP were originally supposed to be on my next album, so they aren't just throwaways."
What can fans expect from your five hand picked tracks on Off the record?
"The biggest sell on this EP is the versatility. No one song has the same sound. Every song comes with a different vibe. I am looking to connect with different regions and audiences, so there’s something on this EP for everyone. Like with “Need More” featuring Kida Kudz and EO, it has a huge UK vibe for my people over there."
How Tough was it to narrow down the five tracks that comprise the EP?
"Yeah it was really tough to pick, because right now I'm sitting on a lot of material, so curating this was a lot of work. It was difficult, but I am very happy with the selection. I am actually very eager to drop it for the fans."
On your project you feature big names from EO to Kida Kudz, what was it like collaborating with these artists on your new project?
"All the songs on the EP are collaborations. There is not a single song that isn’t a feature. As you already know, “Need More” has Kida Kudz and EO. There’s a song with Wizkid on the EP, another with Tiwa Savage and Mr Eazi.
The crazy thing is I didn't actually get to sit down with many of the artists, apart from two of them. Tiwa stopped by my house one day and recorded, and I was with Wizkid in his studio when we made the record. Every other song was done remotely and I really love everyone on the project."
You mentioned you don't think it's time to drop the full project with the state of the world right now, how does it feel to release at least a section of the project for your fans to enjoy in a year like 2020?
"First of all I am just really glad the fan have been patient with me. I haven't put out much music these last couple of years, so for Off the Record to be dropping feels really good so they can hear this and anticipate what is to come, and there is really so much more to come. I've got so many more records in the locker that I cant even speak about yet. But yeah, the album is coming very soon and everything external and internal, would have aligned by then for us to drop it.
In a year like 2020 as a creative, how hard has it been to sit down and find a spot that you can naturally create your music without COVID-19 effecting your set up?
"I couldn't make music because I was stuck in Gabon for about six months, and I was stuck without my studio for the longest time, and all I kept thinking was how I couldn't wait to get back at it.
The thing is I had never been away from home for that long but eventually, my stay there got better and I started to have fun with it. When I eventually got a real studio set up, I wasn't able to get up to too much because it was time to leave, but now I'm back home and I've been working. Feels like I have to make up for all the time I spent doing nothing, so it’s a lot of sleepless nights and recording sessions these days."
Looking towards the future now, what else have you got in store for your fans?
"In 2020 there's more singles coming, there's more music coming, a lot more drops. I shot a video in London too! We've got more videos from the EP coming, and maybe even another fresh EP because I'm working with another group of artists that I want to introduce into the world."
Who over here would you like to collaborate with next?
"I'd definitely love to make music with J Hus, Darkoo, and of course Skepta too"
Do you have a message for your loyal fans that have been waiting for new music?
"Big shout out to my fans I love you, it wont be much longer after this EP before more music drops,
with a new EP and highly anticipated singles on the horizon! If Reekado Banks wasn't on your radar already make it a mandatory!"
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