Six years ago, Omah Lay introduced a fresh emotional depth to Afrobeats with his debut EP, 'Get Layd.' Time has flown, and the project remains a landmark in Nigerian music.
In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced global lockdowns, shutting down offices and businesses. As people stayed home to avoid the virus, music consumption surged. Streaming platforms boomed, TikTok exploded, and artists released new material to meet demand. In Nigeria, streaming was still gaining traction, and the pandemic accelerated its growth. Many artists rose to fame without listeners even seeing their faces.
Among them was Omah Lay, a 21-year-old from Port Harcourt armed with touching melodies and stories of life in Nigeria's oil-rich city. While Nigerians were stuck at home, Keyqaad Records dropped his 5-track EP 'Get Layd.' It was an instant hit. 'Bad Influence' went viral on TikTok, with users knowing the lyrics before the artist's name. In the solitude of lockdown, Omah Lay's introspective songwriting resonated deeply.
Here was an unknown artist wielding melodies unlike typical Nigerian pop, expressing himself with brutal vulnerability and honesty. By exposing his vices, weaknesses, and desires, he encouraged others to embrace theirs. Nigerian music needed something fresh, and this was it.
A Different Type of Emotion
Omah Lay was a kid from Port Harcourt speaking to the average youth with tingling melodies and lyrics that invite you into his world, showing that his life might mirror yours. In a pop scene focused on women's bodies, materialism, and lavish living, Omah Lay chose vulnerability. He hadn't yet made the fortune for expensive bottles, fast cars, or sexy company, and his music didn't aspire to those fantasies.
Instead, he sang about the reality of a man shaped by his environment: complex emotions, young romance, steamy encounters, and heartbreak. He did so with touching melodies and honest lyrics that delight and provoke. On 'Damn,' he sings of a love that defies odds, embracing a partner who chooses him at his lowest. His flows are impeccable, and his writing paints vivid pictures.
On 'Lo Lo,' he offers a modern pop take on Highlife music, singing 'Lololololo' as he pledges love with melodies and backup vocals echoing the Highlife bands of the region. 'You' features punchy Dancehall flows and mellow pop melodies as he admits his faults while insisting on his romantic nature. 'Ye Ye Ye' sounds like a recording in inner-city Port Harcourt, where the smell of marijuana clashes with gas flares and the noise of lovers.
With great music and originality, 'Get Layd' became a huge success. It introduced Omah Lay to an audience he continues to delight as he rises to the top of Nigerian pop music.
Legacy and Impact
Everything Omah Lay sang about on his debut EP would be broadly interpreted in his later works. Vulnerability, honesty, desires, and originality are recurring themes in his acclaimed discography. In 2020, he brought a different emotion to Afrobeats, and six years later, no one mirrors this feeling better than he does.
