‍

Nigerian Pop fusionist Victony has been tenderly evolving since 2016  --  freestyles on SoundCloud, covers of Cardi B and Burna Boy, a small online community that kept growing. The lockdown of 2020 pushed him toward his singing voice, a side of himself his producers had always noticed but he had never fully leaned into. His 2022 opus, Soweto introduced him to the world. Two years later, his debut album Stubborn gave that world more to hold onto. Now, with FRE$H and SLICK already out and a mixtape called Starlife dropping August 21, the young bard is in a period he describes as "just vibes." Born Anthony Ebuka, Victony is an artist in full possession of himself and Starlife is where that shows most clearly. Catching up with Deeds Magazine, we spoke about his evolution, the current state of Afrobeats, and the world he is building with Starlife. 

Sophia for Deeds: For anyone reading this and discovering you for the first time, how would you introduce yourself?

I'm Ebuka Anthony, aka Victony. A young artist from Lagos, Nigeria.I grew up in Ojo, Lagos. I'm an upcoming creative director - I'm mastering that on the loop. 

You started as a rapper on SoundCloud in 2016, covering Cardi B and Burna Boy, and somewhere along the way you became one of the most distinctive voices in Afrobeats. When did you realise the rapper was becoming something else?

It was like 2020. Before then I used to do Instagram freestyles and I had a small online community. I'd put up covers every now and then. Then 2020 came - lockdown and I guess that was a different time in everyone's life. Out of boredom, we were forced to try something different. So I explored my singing side. My producers always told me I had a good voice - once in a while I'd do hooks, and one of my first releases, 'Sing My Song', I sang on it. But I never just thought I would be a singer. Then in 2020 I started trying more singing, started getting comfortable with it, and the rest from there has been history.

When FRE$H was being teased, people saw Blaqbonez in the studio video and immediately assumed there was a feature. What was going through your mind watching all of that play out before the song dropped?

I don't know why people thought it was a feature. I really can't control how fans think. Obviously I wanted it to be a proper release and at the time I just wasn't ready to put it out. If you follow me closely, you know I tease music when I don't have music out, just to entertain the fans. It doesn't necessarily mean I want to put it out. FRE$H just happened to demand at the time - I didn't anticipate it. When the time was right, I eventually put it out.

Soweto made a name outside Nigeria - TikTok, UK charts, the remix with Rema and Don Toliver. Did that moment change how you think about who you're making music for?

No. Not at all. Even at the time when I released it, I was still discovering myself, growing a relationship with my audience, knowing what my pocket truly is - because I'm a versatile artist. From Soweto till now, it's still been a learning process for me.

People have a lot of opinions about where Afrobeats is headed right now. What's your take on the state of the sound?

I think it's progressing into something new. With the emergence of so many new artists in this scene right now that are just extremely bold and confident, and even us - household names - finding new pockets and pushing it forward. It's moulding into something beautiful. It's going to be in a state we've never seen it in before. It's not going to be the usual monopoly where it's just Wizkid or Davido or Burna or Rema. Everyone is starting to have their own fan base, which is beautiful to see. The listeners are also having a mind of their own - people are finding their style and sticking to it. I've seen so many new artists with new sounds, in different pockets, growing their communities. This is happening here in Nigeria and this is Afrobeats. I'm curious to see what it moves into, but I'm positive about the results.

Starlife drops August 21. Give us an insight into what the mixtape is actually about - what world are you building with it?

Freedom. Authenticity. I'm actually just having fun. This is one of the projects I took very seriously and at the same time didn't take very seriously. Making sure the sound, the production, my delivery - it's top notch. But it's also very witty and playful. I don't think I've ever been this playful before, this carefree, genuinely enjoying myself. Starlife just shows growth. It shows me fully confident in my own skin. It shows authenticity, maturity, me just talking about the things that I like. It's Victor they haven't seen before.

The Odumodublvck and Blaqbonez beef was one of the biggest conversations in Nigerian hip-hop recently. As someone in the music space, how do you navigate that kind of tension - do you think beef is good or bad for the culture?

To be honest, Odumodublvck and Blaqbonez are two people I know, really nice guys. I think the misunderstanding has just been blown out of proportion and I just hope one day they figure it out. It's between both of them. I know both guys and I think it's a very huge misunderstanding on both ends.

You've worked with artists like Rema, Don Toliver, Asake, Burna Boy and SAINt JHN across your career. At this point, is there anyone you genuinely wish you could get in the studio with, locally or internationally, that hasn't happened yet?

I want to make music with anybody that just does something different. I'm really just experimenting. I don't really have that one person. Obviously I've always wanted to make music with Drake - that's one of my biggest inspirations, so that doesn't change. But I'm also open to diving into different worlds and seeing what comes out of it. Old, young, new. I'm open to collaborating with people that I really like.

Are there any upcoming visuals, tour dates or projects in the pipeline beyond Starlife that people should keep an eye out for?

I have a few shows coming up in the US and Canada. I have Afroplus in September as well. Possibly some headline concerts in Europe and America. For sure, Bonfire this year - that's an annual thing I do. And definitely the project visuals. Just fun times.

What motivates you?

Just feeling purposeful. That's been my biggest motivation right now - truly finding what my purpose is. I feel like one way to do that is utilizing my talents to the max. Every day I go hard, every day I'm creating. I want to find what my purpose truly is. I'm just enjoying the journey and trying to feel purposeful every day.

So bumis no longer part of the motivation?

(laughs) We like it though.

As we wrap up, what do you want people to understand about this period of your career that the music alone might not be saying?

I don't think there's anything deep. I feel like people get it and if you don't get it, I don't know. At this moment, it's just vibes.

‍

IG;@sophiannadozie

‍