British-Nigerian Afro-pop riser Midas the Jagaban is rife with eccentricities. Disguised by a striking mask, her ambiguous appearance mirrors the elusiveness of her sonic approach; picking petals of genres to amalgamate a cascading floral frenzy of style and individuality.
Following her impressive 2020 EP, “Midas Touch EP”, which featured TikTok winner “Come We Bill Ehh” and breakout single “Dance With A Jagaban, the artist disappeared into the shadows, taking an extent hiatus. She returned this year, more finely tuned to her sound and resonant in her essence, with a run of immersive singles.
Earlier this month, she correlated the sharp batch of cuts into an EP with some added flavourings. “Midas Touch EP Vol 2: Return Of The Mask” is a genre-bending, tonally eclectic and lyrically potent collection of tracks that is the clearest indicator of her boundless creativity to date. Subtle sublimity comes with the Tayc-featuring “Louis Vitty”, whilst “MELANIN POP” flaunts a more electronic inclination. Full of deft instrumental choices, clever writing and luxurious performances, Midas’ return is the work of an artist confident in their approach and assured in their vision.
We caught up with the creative, discussing the influence of her Nigerian heritage, what she learnt during her break from releasing, and the thought behind her magnificent new EP.
Listen to the EP…
Read the full interview…
Who and what influences your sound?
Artists like Andre300 & lil uzi; in the sense of how they do things in their own way what ever genre it is they make it their own and also how they use fashion to express themselves and their music On the Afro side,, Wande Coal & Davido is the main influence of sound. Wande coal is, in my opinion, king of melodies, his music encourages my use of melodies. I’d say another big influence is anime and cartoons – they are a visual representation of the feeling I hope for my sound to create. The art of escapism. The same way I watch a film or a series and escape into that world is the main influence of my music no matter the vibe.
How did you first discover your love for music?
Church honestly
How has your Nigerian heritage shaped your artistry?
We Nigerians born in London are very lucky to be very connected to our routes through our parents. Even though I was not born in Nigeria my parents raised me the way they were raised back home. The music back home travels and growing up. I loved artists like Olamide, Don Jazzy & Wande Coal. The afrobeat sound allowed me to create sounds like “Come We Bill Ehh,” “Party With A Jagaban” and “Wuje.”
How would you describe the essence of your sound?
Its essence is that it can be anything – DARE MO. There are no restrains on genre sound or structure; it sounds the way it feels to sound
What did you learn about yourself and your sound during your extended hiatus?
I learnt to live on my own time; to disconnect myself from pressures & expectations especially with Midas’. Anything worth doing cannot be rushed and a universe cannot be created in a day or year. I learned my sound has no identity or distinctiveness I enjoyed creating new sounds & allowing the sound to develop instead of sticking in a box or trying to recreate the same thing.
Congratulations of “Midas Touch Vol 2: Return of the Mask!” How are you feeling about being back releasing?
It’s exciting because it’s basically starting again or more so an additional volume but this time more characters introduced. Season two is a lot different from season one but it’s still the same show. Just interested to see what songs people draw too
How does the project showcase the progression of your artistry?
The seven tracks on the project are all different vibes that individually different sounds I discovered and played with over the past two years.
What inspired the title of the new EP?
The comic book – the mask returns. I wanted to recreate the concept and make it a comic book issue, it was a return following from “Midas Touch 1.”
What themes are you touching on throughout the project?
None intentional themes it is more so each song reflects a different persona of Midas.
What are your career goals moving forward?
Just want to keep releasing and keep developing Midas’ multiverse.
What’s next for you?
Touring.