Lojay was introduced to the music industry through ‘Monalisa,’ but that breakthrough came only after years of persistent singing and releasing projects and singles. He first needed to find his comfort zone and master his craft. Now, more than three years later and following a solo EP and a joint EP with his regular producer Sarz, he has delivered his first full-length project, ‘XOXO‘.
“XOXO” (an acronym for hugs and kisses) serves as a superb continuation of the themes he explored on “Gangster Romantic,” a dark post-heartbreak project. While this new album offers glimpses of sunlight, it still navigates the ups and downs of love. Lojay continues to grapple with the complexities of relationships, starting with the first track, “Sale.” This soulful tune ruefully addresses a partner’s inconsistency, warmly welcoming listeners into the album’s world. However, the project doesn’t truly kick into gear until the upbeat “Tenner,” whose intro is reminiscent of Wande Coal’s “Asimapeyin.”
Odeal’s long absence from Nigeria does little to hinder his delivery on “Mwah!,” where he brings a classic Afrobeats element to the twangy, string-filled production. “Shiver” vividly details how a woman makes the artist feel, while “Body” is an earnest call for physical intimacy.
On “Miss Mariana,” Lojay builds on a vocal clip from a Rihanna interview in which she claimed to be a “bad girl.” Here, Lojay fully embraces his own bad-boy side, depicting a wild night out across two verses. “Change You Up” is driven by a choir, whose vocals elevate the track as Lojay sings about his aura and prestige as an artist. “Jericho” is thematically similar to “Yaweh” from “Gangster Romantic”; while the topics are worlds apart, their delivery sounds strikingly similar. On the former, Lojay celebrates his lover, showering her with encomium.
Longtime listeners of Lojay will notice a repetition of sounds, flow patterns, and baselines throughout the album. From the first play, it’s clear that many of these songs feel like replicas of his past work, making the familiar patterns difficult to ignore.
In the album’s second half, Lojay explores milder tempos. He becomes apologetic on “Memories,” a track that highlights his deliberate approach to features. While his collaborators often perform well, Lojay consistently shines brighter, and the track might have been just as compelling without them. The production from “Moto” gets reworked on “Somebody Like You,” which finds Lojay in his typical love-lorn state. However, the chaotic production here derails the artist’s vocal performance. The tracklist seems to follow a pattern: for every two tracks about love’s complexities, Lojay slides in one dance-centric song. The final two tracks address patience (“Suru”) and industry pressure (“Alright”), with the latter standing out as an unusually brilliant rendition.
Although “XOXO” arrives a year later than anticipated, fans and critics will be glad to have it. The album presents Lojay in a vulnerable state, detailing his love-lorn situations, his highs and lows with romance, and his clarity of mind regarding life.
The remnants of “Gangster Romantic”—curated after a breakup—seem to have seeped into the creation of this project. The hurt and betrayal are still noticeable, posing the question: Do people ever truly get over such things? Perhaps they simply learn to live with them, and the results of that process are scattered throughout this album.
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