Features : Afro-fusion singer-songwriter B-Tone bares all in debut EP

LAGOS, Nigeria — Some people hear B-Tone’s music and they hear gospel; others think it is R&B, still others hear reggae.

When you ask the new Nigerian Afropop singer-songwriter to define his sound, he hears all of those and more and he displays most of his extensive repertoire in his debut EP called “Nudes.”

“‘Thank God’ is a song I dropped years ago,” B-Tone said. “I dropped it in 2019 and it went viral in this part of the world, it went very, very viral and it’s part of the reason I named the project ‘Nudes.’ There were many people who started thinking that I was a gospel artist and that kind of restricted my sound. So I didn’t want to be boxed or caged in anymore so I had to express myself and say this is the nude me, this is me.”

The EP, which was released on streaming platforms last year, features seven singles which come from show B-Tone’s heart and bears it for all to see — hence the name “Nudes.”

“I was basically inspired by the state of mind I was in at that particular time. I was going through a phase in my life, I was discovering myself and different parts of my sound,” B-Tone said. “That was why I called it ‘Nudes’ because I wanted it to be a reflection of how I was feeling at that particular time. I wanted the sound and lyrics and everything to be true and for it to be enjoyable to the listeners. Basically it was just me expressing myself the best way I knew how to.

“The EP has seven songs and they all have different messages. The first song, ‘Holy Water,’ is a love song talking about my insecurities and my relationship and stuff. ‘Tension,’ I don’t want tension, it’s literally talking about what it says. It’s very plain. It’s a rollercoaster of emotions, of good vibes, love, good energy. I just compiled the whole project that way.”

B-Tone was born and grew up in the Kogi State of north-central Nigeria, a rural area far from the opportunities provided in the large cities.

He said he started his music at a very early age, with great influence from friends and his surrounding.

“It’s very, very difficult place to grow up, nobody is going to rescue you, no body is going to help you,” B-Tone said. “Basically you have to do everything yourself. I felt like I needed to say something but I couldn't say it and I needed to find a way to talk or get ahead. So I started making music, and growing up where I came from, it’s very very difficult because not so many people make it out of that place. We don’t have many, I can count on one hand how many superstars we have from there.”

B-Tone said he wrote poems for girls just for fun, then in 2012 he started taking his music seriously.

“In 2014 I recorded my first song ever,” he said. “Since then the response from it was mind-blowing. Since then I got good feedback and I thought maybe I should do this for real. I started posting freestyles in Instagram and that’s how I met my now recording label and boss, Royalty Records. They saw my freestyles on Instagram and they reached out to me and I was still in school. They reached out and said, hey, come to Lagos.”

B-Tone said he wants to make a deeper connection with his listeners and fans with his music.

“I really want the listener to not just listen and nod their heads,” he said. “I want them to connect to the words and try to feel what I'm saying, try to connect with the words and feel me and try to connect to me, the artist and the state of mind I was in when I was creating the whole project.

“I just want you to know that, ok, this is where I'm at and I'm using this to tell you my story and I want you to feel it too and feel connected too. It’s just me using it to get closer to my fans and people who love my music.”

Fans and listeners can connect with B-Tone and his new EP through on these social media and streaming platforms:

Websites:
YouTube
Spotify
Apple Music
Amazon Music

Socials:
Facebook
Royalty Records Instagram
B-Tone Instagram