The saying ,”Three is a crowd,” may be true for the vast majority of people who believe it, but not in NSG’s case.Three members were barely enough for the UK-based music group; there was even a need to double it. Founded by a group of young, diaspora Africans with a profound dream and a passion for great music, NSG started as child’s play. Over a decade later, it has evolved into something much greater.
Now, a group of successful international class acts, Kruddz, OGD, Papii Abz, Dope, Mxjib, and Mojo are on a path to creating evergreen global music whilst staying true to their sound. After their successful debut album release in October 2023, and curating a stellar live show in Lagos, on the 21st of December 2023, the Afro-swing group is heading into 2024, hopeful and ready to conquer new heights. In this conversation with Deeds Magazine, NSG explores their journey finding music, their goals, and transcending into the next phase of their career. Can you tell me what inspired the formation of NSG, and how you decided on the group's name?
We like to tell people that NSG is a lifestyle. It’s our way of life. We came up with the name when we were like 13/14 year-old teens and it started as a playground joke but today, NSG is way bigger than that. It means so many things to us, “Never Stop Growing,” “Non-Stop Grinding,” “Nigeria Slash Ghana,” and so we’ll like to keep it that way.
A group of 6 is quite the number, especially as an artist in Afrobeats and its sub-genres. What is the most challenging aspect of being a group in the music industry?
Our number has never been a major issue. We've known each other since forever. We grew up together and that has sort of helped us build an unbreakable bond. Not many people know this, but there were more than six of us before. When we started, we were just a bunch of teenagers having fun, using music as an outlet, but as things got serious, some people dropped out.
When we're creating music, our number is an advantage. It's more fun because we often have a plethora of ideas to run through. The quality is greater because we’re feeding off each other’s vibe but sometimes, it makes decision making hard. At the end of day, we put it all to a vote, and we lean into our number as a core strength.
Your latest project, Area Boyz is your debut album after 10 years in the industry. What's the story behind this project?
This project has been in the works for at least five years now. We wanted to be intentional, and showcase who we are and our environment and that’s what inspired the title—Area Boyz. We put a spin to the notion that area boys have a negative connotation because it reminds us that we made it regardless of our environment.
We collaborated with Seyi Vibez,on the first song on the project and even though it was an unexpected feature for so many people, it worked for us. The entire album is produced by our in-house production team including some members of NSG. We also had JAE5, who has been around us since day 1, produce one of the tracks too. Overall, this entire project is an intentional body of work, and every single feature was intentional because there’s already six of us, so when we go out to add an extra person, there has to be a strong reason why.
Is this new project a deliberate attempt to reconnect more with your Nigerian and Ghanaian roots? If so, what specific aspects are you exploring?
Most definitely. We want to go everywhere in the world that our music goes. We want to amplify the sound, get people to feel it in real time. Even as diasporan artists, we’re very much in touch with our culture and we’ll continue to stay in touch, collaborate and be an integral part of the culture back home.
Now that the world is more recipient towards Afrobeats, how has this impacted your craft?
We've always been influenced by Afro beats even when it wasn't cool or mainstream. Now that the entire world is listening, there's more room for expression and opportunities and that's very good. We've always championed the sound, we sang in our native tongue since we’ve started doing music and now time has finally caught up to us.
Beyond the music, what is the long term plan for NSG as a group? Are you looking to explore other aspects of the music industry or entertainment?
Truthfully, we plan to stay in music for the long haul, but certainly in different capacities. We’re always evolving, and that may lead us to exploring different interests. Some of us are hoping to look into talent management, record labels, music production and so on and we can’t wait to just keep evolving.
As diasporan artists, it can be hard to find that balance or connection with the culture back home. Did you ever struggle with that?
Thankfully, in our case we didn’t. In 2019, which was our first time performing in Nigeria and Ghana, the reception was tear-jerking. It was such a surreal experience, coming back home to our cities, because of our music and we found it so validating.
To be honest, we’ve never really second-guessed. Everything started at home. Our community listened first, then the music expanded to the city, then the country. So, we got bigger as time passed organically, and it was due to the relatability of the music.
Looking ahead, what do you envision as NSG's long-term legacy in the music industry?
When people hear about NSG in 5-10 years, we want them to see a new dimension, beyond the last decade. Our visual album is a crazy, yet super intentional body of work. We now want to do movies, build brands in fashion, and explore other creative realms. If you think we’re big in Nigeria and Ghana now, we’ve not even scratched the surface. We hope to conquer the Nigerian market properly and you may even find us moving back home to Nigeria and Ghana.
We're also looking to do more world tours, prioritizing African countries. We believe we make global music, so our goal is to try to reach everywhere our music has gotten.
Are there any other exciting projects NSG is currently working on?
Top of the new year, we might just release something interesting we’ve been working on. Fingers crossed.
Sarkodie’s song is the oldest on the album, and it's 5 years old. It's been 5 years in the making.
.png){kind=logo}