London-based Nigerian artist PapaRaZzle is taking a vibrant turn with his brand new single “Darling.” Known for his innovative blend of afrobeats, dancehall, and pop, PapaRaZzle is setting hearts ablaze with this infectious amapiano track. “Darling” marks a departure from his previous mid-tempo love songs, aiming to capture the joyful spirit of romance with a melody that compels listeners to move. We sat down with PapaRaZzle to explore the inspiration behind “Darling,” his collaborative creative process, and what it means to redefine the boundaries of afrobeats music.
What made you decide to mix in elements of amapiano for ‘Darling’? How do you think this choice affects the overall feel of the song compared to your previous tracks?
Thank you! The amapiano elements came naturally while we (the producer, Kryptian Icon and I) were in process of creating the song. It wasn’t too intentional at the inception of the track. The focus is always to create out of a feeling and bring that feeling to life. But it felt right along the way to add Log Drums, Percussion etc.. I just love creating and exploring sounds and genres.
I love how it came out, like my previous recent releases, I think it still captures the sweetness of love and romance , and in addition, you’ll dance. In comparison to my previous tracks, this is more upbeat, but I’ve got more of this as well of my upcoming project “Do You Believe In Soulmates”.
How does ‘Darling’ reflect your Nigerian background, and why is it important for you to share that heritage with a worldwide audience?
‘Darling’ captures the sweetness, the love and the romantic side of the Nigerian man lol, and generally Nigerians. As a Nigerian man, I know we get a lot of bad PR around the world, and it’s my duty to change that perspective cause we’re simply the sweetest. We’re just misunderstood a lot. We’re the ultimate lovers (laughs).
Could you share a bit about the personal experiences or emotions that inspired the song’s creation?
I’m blessed to have people in my life that love and appreciate me, and are loyal. And I’m blessed to be aware of that. Cause you have to be able to see it and recognize it. And all of that is highly valued and is reciprocated. The song comes from the emotion that came from realising what I have, and what I must give back for these relationships to be balanced and beautiful.
You’ve had remarkable success with previous singles like “Sunset And You” and “Angel,” garnering millions of plays and chart success internationally. How do you handle the pressure of following up such achievements with each new release?
Thank you! To be honest, the pressure is never really the songs, as I just create and release whatever I’m inspired to. It’s more with figuring out marketing and promo aspects. But then ‘Sunset and You’ and ‘Angel’ became successful by people gravitating towards the songs and the feeling it gave them. So I guess I just stay true to creating music off real feelings and emotions, and hope it resonates.
How do you translate the energy and emotion of your studio recordings into your live shows?
Mentally, I tap into whatever experience the song is from, perform from there, and it translates.
What’s one non-musical skill you wish you were better at and how would it influence your music?
Drawing, Painting… I think it’ll help me personally bring the visions of my Cover Arts to life as I’m very intentional with that. But for that I collaborate with artists who help me bring those visions to life.
What’s a piece of musical advice you constantly have to re-learn for yourself?
Don’t sit on songs, you never know….
Looking back at your musical journey, is there a song you wish you could rewrite and why?
No! Every song I’ve written is a reflection of where I was mentally, emotionally and sometimes physically at the time I wrote it. So it was meant to be and I won’t change that.
Imagine you have a time machine for music – you can travel to any point in history. Where would you go and why?
The 70s. There was an explosion in genres and generally in music. Would have loved to see Sikiru Ayinde Barrister, Fela Kuti, Mavin Gaye, Michael Jackson in their prime, and experience all that music for the first time, in that era.
