The Freedom of Moelogo

British-Nigerian songwriter and singer, Moelogo, is out with a new body of work called ‘Euphonic’.

The word itself describes a sound that is pleasing to the ear. Euphonic underscores the quality of the EP, with lush production and soothing melodies from one of the finest writers and singers in the business.

In his exclusive Q&A with The Naija Way, the Headies-winning artist explains why he took a carefree approach while creating this EP. He also reveals his songwriting process and why songwriters are not appreciated enough in Afrobeats.

The Naija Way - Moelogo, how have you been?

Moelogo - I’ve been good. If someone had asked me this question yesterday I wouldn’t have given them an answer. I wouldn’t have given them a genuine, proper answer. Yeah, I feel good. I’m grateful. 

The Naija Way - Your new project, ‘Euphonic’, what does it mean to you?

Moelogo - Freedom. (It means) freedom to express myself. I’m flying. I’m just doing what I want to do. I’m free. It’s sweet sounds, the project is easy going. I feel like I’m thinking about things too much no more. I feel like I’m in a space where I don’t care about being too deep. I’m just me. If it comes out deep then so be it. If it comes out playful so be it.

The Naija Way - You are in a carefree space right now.

Moelogo - Yeah, but that does not mean that when you hear the lyrics it wouldn’t have any meaning. I’m not just killing myself over it. I feel like the more you allow yourself to be free, the better you get as a creative as well.

The Naija Way - How does ‘Euphonic’ differ from your other projects?

Moelogo - It’s still the same thing. The quality doesn’t change. The quality is still there with production, melody, and lyrics, but what is different is that I am in a better space right now than I was two years ago, or three years ago. The same time when I was giving people my best, I was trying to understand myself as a person. While people were trying to figure me out, I was also trying to figure myself out as well. 

This project is how I’m feeling now. This project is about love, travelling and just speaking about what I want to speak about in this body of work. The other projects- that’s how I was feeling then. I don’t like to overthink things. If I’m feeling sad then the project is going to be sad. If I’m feeling happy then so be it. If I’m feeling grateful then so be it.

The Naija Way - You have two backgrounds - South London, Peckham and Naij. How did these two backgrounds influence you musically?

Moelogo - I was born a Nigerian, coming to the UK didn’t change that. It only allowed me to amplify it, and blend it with the culture here. I merged both cultures together so that gives you that Moelogo feeling when you are listening to me on a song. 

The Naija Way - Do you feel songwriters are appreciated in the Nigerian pop scene?

Moelogo - They are not appreciated at all and to be honest, I used to blame other people but the blame goes to ourselves, the songwriters. This is because we are not dealing with things in a business type of way. We are dealing with emotions and when you do this, you will get hurt. I feel like we just need to treat things more with a business mindset.

The Naija Way - Are you more business savvy right now?

Moelogo - Oh yeah, most definitely. I am selective with who I want to work with. Right now I would say one or two. Right now I ask these questions - “what’s in it for me?”, “what’s the fee?”, “how much am I making?”, and “what is this going to do for me in the next ten years?”

The Naija Way - What’s Moelogo’s songwriting process?

Moelogo - I just let the beat play and I allow the melodies to flow through me. At that stage, I am not really worried about having words. It’s all about having the right melodies to pick from and you are good from there.

The Naija Way - You’ve worked with a long line of rappers from Wretch 32 & Avelino, Show Dem Camp, Sneakbo, M.I Abaga, Sarkodie and others. It seems you have a thing for rappers.

Moelogo - I feel like I understand them. They need that hook to be able to deliver their verses. I have mastered the art of giving rappers the right hooks that they need and it works. I’m happy that I can do different things and still be the Moelogo. I can feature in an artist’s song that is Nigerian or non-African and still be myself. And I feel that is what people love about me.

You can stream ‘Euphonic’ HERE