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Lojay

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Lojay
Birth nameLekan Osifeso Junior[1]
Born (1996-04-28) 28 April 1996 (age 28)
Genres
Occupations
Instrument
  • Vocals
Years active2016–present

Lekan Osifeso Jnr. (born 28 April 1996), popularly known as Lojay, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and producer.[2][3] He peaked at number 8 on the Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart with his song "Monalisa", which features Chris Brown and Sarz.[4][5] He received a nomination for the Headies Award for Next Rated artiste at the 2022 Headies Award.[6][7]

In 2023, Lojay alongside Nigerian singer Davido were featured on the song "Sensational" by Chris Brown. The song debuted at number 71 on the Billboard Hot 100, serving as Davido and Lojay's first entry on the chart.[8] The song earned him his first career nomination at the Grammy Awards, receiving a nomination in the Best African Music Performance category.[9]

Early life and background

[edit]

He graduated from the University of Portsmouth, UK in 2018.[10] His family lived in Ikorodu and then in Victoria Island, Lagos. Lekan has shown great potential and inclination towards music since he was a child. While in secondary school at Nigerian Turkish Secondary School in Nigeria, he was in a local rap group called Dkoy. While in Dkoy he released hits like Kilode. As his mother was a pastor, Osifeso went to church regularly, as a family routine during his formative years.[11] While growing up, Chris Brown was one of his favorite singers.[12][11]

Career

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Lojay's stage name is an abbreviation of the first letters of his full name "Lekan Osifeso Junior" (LO-J). He picked interest in music and singing as an adolescent. And pursued his passion through his teenage years.[1] He is fluid with the genre of music he does and switches from one gnere to the other. In an interview with Nataal, he said[11]

"I don't have a genre and I'm not going to put myself in a box just because people expect it....anyone that wants to put me in a box is free to do so. As long as you are jamming and connecting to the gbedu(song), you can call it anything you want. If I do rock tomorrow, nobody should fight me."

He started music professionally in 2016 on a part-time basis while he was still an undergraduate and then went on to focus solely on music after obtaining his degree.[2] In December 2017, Lojay released his debut EP, Midnight Vibes, which consisted of five tracks. The titles of the tracks from the EP are Atarodo, Alomo, Kele, 10K Splaw and Whine & Bubble.[13]

In 2019, he released the single "Ariel"and in 2020 he released another single titled "Ogogoro". Between his initial sojourn into the music industry in 2016 and the release of his breakout songs in 2021, Lojay dropped several singles including Along, Kuli Kuli, Over the Bar amongst others.

In May 2021, his sophomore EP titled LV N ATTN (stylized from Love and Attention), which was a duet EP alongside producer Sarz, was released. It was a five track EP that contained his breakout singles which he released earlier that year titled "Tonongo" and "Monalisa", a song he went on to remix with Chris Brown.[14][15] As well as LV N ATTN, a track with the same name as the EP, in which he featured Wizkid.[16] The two other tracks are titled Panty! and Park O X3. The body of work earned a nomination for The Headies award for next rated artiste for the year 2021/2022.[6] In November 2021, he and Zlatan Ibile were featured by DJ Neptune on the song titled Only fan.[17]

In 2022, he took part in the Heineken UEFA Champions League trophy tour in Nigeria.[18][19]

In March 2023, Lojay released his second solo EP titled Gangster Romantic.[20] "Monalisa" was certified Silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) later that month.[21]

Discography

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EPs

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Year Work Title Notes Ref
2017 Midnight Vibes Debut EP [13]
2021 LV N ATTN Collaborative EP with Sarz [22]
2023 Gangster Romantic 7-track EP featuring DJ Maphorisa and Kabza De Small [20]

Singles

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[edit]
List of charted singles as featured artist
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
NGR
[23] 		NLD Tip
[24] 		NZ Hot
[25] 		SA
[26] 		SUR
[27] 		UK
[28] 		US
[29]
"Sensational"
(Chris Brown featuring Davido & Lojay) 		2023 12 7 7 17 4 45 71 11:11

Awards and nominations

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Year Award ceremony Prize Recipient/Nominated work Result
2022 The Headies The Headies Award for Next Rated Himself Nominated
Best Afrobeats Single of the Year "Monalisa" - Lojay & Sarz Nominated
Headies' Viewer's Choice Nominated
Best Afrobeats Single of the Year Nominated

References

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  1. ^ a b A, Olumide (1 December 2021). "Lojay's Biography: Age, Net Worth, Songs, Girlfriend". Kemi Filani. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Artiste Of The Month". Cool FM Nigeria. 14 August 2021. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  3. ^ "Lojay". Earth Agency. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
  4. ^ Afro Nation (9 July 2022). "Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs, WEEK OF JULY 16 2022". Billboard chart. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  5. ^ "New Music: Lojay & Sarz feat. Chris Brown – Monalisa (Remix)". Bella Naija. 20 May 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  6. ^ a b Kenechi, Stephen (24 May 2022). "The Headies 2022: BNXN, Lojay, Ruger Vie For 'Next Rated' He has won 4 Grammies Award". TheCable. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  7. ^ Ihekire, Chinonso (28 May 2022). "Zinoleesky Duels Afro-Pop Acts Ayra Star, Bnxn, Lojay, And Ruger For Headies' Next Rated". The Guardian (Nigeria). Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  8. ^ Zellner, Xander (29 January 2024). "Hot 100 First-Timers: Afrobeats Artists Davido & Lojay Debut With Features on Chris Brown's 'Sensational'". Billboard. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  9. ^ BellaNaija.com (8 November 2024). "Burna Boy, Asake, Davido, Yemi Alade, Tems & Lojay Among 2025 Grammy Nominees". BellaNaija. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  10. ^ Idowu, Hannah (10 December 2021). "Nigerian Singer Lojay Full Biography And Net Worth". DNB Stories. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  11. ^ a b c Johnson-Omodiagbe, Conrad (4 November 2021). "Lojay". Nataal. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  12. ^ Ajose, Kehinde (22 May 2022). "I grew up watching Chris Brown, it feels great working with him — Lojay". The Punch. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  13. ^ a b Osifeso, Lekan (17 December 2017). "Midnight Vibes". Boomplay. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  14. ^ Ihekire, Chinonso (21 May 2022). "Lojay Teams Up With Chris Brown To Repaint Monalisa". The Guardian (Nigeria). Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  15. ^ "Lojay, Sarz Reflect On Heartbreak With LV N ATTN EP". The Sun (Nigeria). 11 June 2021. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  16. ^ "Lojay Teams Up With Wizkid, SARZ For New Song". The Punch. 4 June 2021. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  17. ^ Michael, Mide (17 November 2021). "DJ Neptune Set to Premiere New Single with Lojay and Zlatan off New Album". NotJustOk. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  18. ^ Bada, Gbenga (30 April 2022). "Davido, Perruzi, Reekado Banks Thrill Football Fans on Heineken Trophy Tour". The Nation (Nigeria). Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  19. ^ "How Davido, Peruzzi, Others Scored Big with Heineken Trophy Tour". This Day. 30 April 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  20. ^ a b Anifowose, Bomi (6 March 2023). "'Gangster Romantic' By Lojay: A Renunciation Of A Hopeless Romantic". African Folder. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  21. ^ "British certifications – Lojay & Sarz – Monalisa". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
  22. ^ "Lojay & Sarz Release Collaborative EP "LV N ATTN"". Bella Naija. 5 June 2021. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  23. ^ "TurnTable Charts | Official Nigeria Top 100". 2 December 2023. Archived from the original on 2 December 2023. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  24. ^ "Dutch Single Tip – 18/11/2023". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  25. ^ "Billboard Canadian Hot 100: May 27, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  26. ^ "Kabza De Small climbs the charts following #SAMA29 success (Ed 110)". The Official South African Charts. 23 November 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  27. ^ "Top 40 – 7 dec T/M 14 dec 2023" [Top 40 – December 7 to December 14, 2023]. Nationale Top 40 Suriname. 14 December 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
  28. ^ "Official Singles Chart :Week of November 17, 2023". Official Charts. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  29. ^ "Chris Brown | Biography, Music & News". Billboard. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
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