It was a cold Tuesday evening when I sat down for a Zoom call with Jane Efagwu, an emerging Nigerian rap artist. The moment her camera flickered on, her energy was undeniable—vibrant, confident, and filled with a passion that leapt right through the screen. Chatting with Jane felt less like an interview and more like catching up with an old friend who had just discovered her life’s purpose.
As we spoke about her debut single, Astronomical, the sparkle in her eyes told me this was just the beginning of an extraordinary journey. She shared stories of numerous studio sessions, her love for artists like Tiwa Savage, Nicki Minaj, and Eva Alordiah, and her ambitious plans to release more music by December.
Listening to Jane Efagwu dream aloud about headlining Coachella, working with producers like Prime and London, and going on campus tours was like witnessing a star being born.
Stay tuned as we delve into her journey, the inspiration behind Astronomical, and what the future holds for this dynamic new voice in African rap.
Let’s start with the basics– What’s the first song or artist you remember inspiring you to get into music?
For me, it was a Nicki Minaj song. I was watching Super Bass and it was all over the television. I remember listening to it and thinking, “Oh this is something I can do.” And when they took the light, I started writing music by myself and here we are.
Growing up, did you always know music was your calling, or did you have other dreams before this?
Growing up, I was shy—I still am. So, as a child, I couldn’t fathom the concept “What do you want to be in the future” because I couldn’t understand it. But I was really smart. I really didn’t think I was going to be an artist, but here we are.
Who’s that one artist you used to obsess over as a fan before you became an artist yourself? (Apart from Nicki Minaj)
I’ve always been a fan of Tiwa Savage since I was a young girl. I really love to see her strength. She’s beautiful, she’s strong. I’ve seen her hard work pay off in real-time. She’s really a savage for sure and she’s killing it. I also Love Rihanna, Beyonce, and Eva Alordiah. But I particularly love seeing female African rappers like me do the music thing.
How did your family react when you decided to pursue music seriously?
My mom is cool with it, but I don’t think my dad quite understands that I’m an artist. They don’t have anything against it, but at the same time, I don’t think they’re for it. They just don’t quite understand it yet.
Jane Efagwu’s Debut Single, Astronomical
Okay, now let’s talk about Astronomical. Congratulations on your debut single. What inspired the song, and how does it represent your artistry as Jane Efagwu? This is your debut single. It’s huge. You’re always going to refer to this song years from now.
Astronomical is one of those songs that just came to me. I heard the beat, and I just decided to take the song where it wanted me to go. It sounded like a shot of high energy, like a nice pick-me-up, like a nice shot of energy saying, “Yes, you can do it,” even on a tiring day.
It feels like a mood lifter—filled with affirmations, assuring myself that I am that person and that I will always be astronomical. Major produced it. He sent me a bunch of things, and it sort of stood out to me. So I was going for a vibe that comes in and just lifts your mood. That’s what I was going for.
This reminds me of past tweets from artists like Wizkid, Burna Boy, and J. Cole affirming that they would become something huge in the future, and they did. I hope everything you’ve manifested in your debut song comes to pass for you because that’s a great way to start your music journey. So, were there any funny or memorable moments while recording the song?
Hmmmm. Well, I didn’t even know Astronomical would be my debut single when I was recording it. It just felt like fate, and things just clicked. So that was pretty memorable for me. It felt easy. It just came to me, and it’s doing well. So, I’m very thankful.
If your single were a color, what would it be and why?
Girl, it’ll be green. It’ll be a nice, lush green. Because Green is very luxurious and cool.
I agree. Green also reminds me of that jolt of electricity you mentioned, so that checks out. What’s the wildest feedback you’ve gotten about the song so far?
So, I’ve zeroed in on myself and decided that regardless of what happens, I must keep going. One thing I’ve learnt is that whether you drop a good song or a bad song, there’s always work to be done. If you drop a good song, you have to follow it up with better songs, and if you drop a bad one, you have to improve yourself.
So for me, I’m not taking feedback as good or bad. I’m just taking them as pointers on how to improve my music. However, there has been funny feedback. For example, the point where I say, “My style is so ill, I know you feel, go call your medical, I’m astronomical.” My friend quoted it and said, “Wahala for who no get HMO.” I found it very funny. Even sometimes when I walk into the saloon to do my hair or nails, my friends can just start playing the lyrics, and it’s always a fun moment for me.
That’s hilarious. It sounds like people are having fun with it.
Jane Efagwu and the Music Industry
Now, let’s look at the music business aspect of it. You attended the Music Business Academy for Africa (MBA for Africa), and since then, you’ve been heavily involved in a lot of work in the industry. How has your experience at MBA for Africa shaped your approach to your career?
Wow. Thank you for that question. MBA for Africa definitely impacted me in so many ways. One of the reasons why I attended MBA for Africa is because I knew I would start my journey as an artist.
I knew there would be a process from when I sat down to write music to when it would go out there so people could listen. But I didn’t know what that process would look like. So, curiosity drove me to register for MBA for Africa.
It was such a unique and eye-opening experience for me because it helped me network with other people who have helped me. I’m still working with so many people who were on my team in MBA for Africa, so it’s pretty cool. It also helped me with my budgeting, decision-making, and so much more.
What’s one thing you learned about the music industry that you think every aspiring artist should know?
Just do you, and don’t overthink everything. It’s show business, so most of these things are just for show. If you study what they’re doing and how people are doing things, you can probably do the same or even better. So just go for it. Package and pattern yourself, and you’ll go very far. Just do it. Just go for it.
Are there any industry trends or changes that Jane Efagwu is particularly excited (or worried) about?
Again, I feel like I live life in a very different way. Not a lot of things bother me when it comes to stuff like this. So, as Jane Efagwu, I’ll do what I’m going to do, regardless of whatever is going on in the industry. So, for me, I’m excited about the fact that I’m now debuting at a time when the industry is seemingly more open and welcoming to female artists, even though there’s still a long way to go. Plus, there’s now a lot of Global focus on African music, which means everyone is watching me and so I’m only going up from here.
Creative Process & Music Collaborations
What’s your songwriting process like—do you start with the melody, lyrics, or vibe?
For me, my songwriting process can be dynamic because different songs demand to be written and felt differently. Sometimes, I write songs without a beat, from intro to the chorus and verse. And then after that, I can find a producer to help me flesh out the songs.
Other times, I get the beat first and try to see if it speaks to me in terms of uniqueness. Does it sound fresh? Does it have enough bounce to ride? I can freestyle over and over again, find different pockets to work with, switch things up, transition here and there, fill it up with lyrics, switch up the songwriting even as I’m recording, and yeah, it usually ends up magical.
Whew, that sounds like a lot.
It’s not easy, to be honest.
I can’t relate to the songwriting process, but I can relate to the creative process. As a writer, I sometimes have writer’s block. Where do you go, or what do you do when you need to spark creativity?
This is a great question because I’ve experienced that recently. I’m still an emerging artist so I have to work two jobs to be able to make music, and sometimes I don’t have the strength to be creative after my 9 to 5. So, when this happens, I let it breathe. My best ideas come to me when I’m fully rested. So I find a day to sleep for maybe 12 hours, get in my zen mode, and block the work out.
When I do that, I usually have a lot of energy. I can also go out with friends, get new experiences, get inspired before coming back to my room to write more music. I also ease into it, I start with the small stuff, then work my way up to the big stuff.
Who’s on your dream list of collaborators for future projects? (both Nigerian and international artists)
When it comes to Nigerian collaborations, I definitely want to do one with Tiwa savage. She’s so cool. I love psycho YP, and I also wanna do one with Cardi. She’s so good. I’d do one with Nicki and Ayra Starr, too, she’s fantastic. I love her hustle, voice, and vibe.
I’d also love to collaborate with producers too. I’d love to work with London. (Not in that way) LOL.
No judgment haha.
They call him the cheat code and I think he really is. I’d also love to work with P.Priime. As a matter of fact, I’ve worked with him before. But I didn’t know he was the one. We vibed, we made a dope song together, and I just left without collecting his contact or anything.
A while later, some guys were talking about him and they showed me his picture and I realized that we’ve worked together before. It was such a pinch me moment. Like, how could I have missed that? I knew the songs he had done, but I didn’t realize he was sitting right there in the same room with me.
Well, the good part of this story is that you still have that experience to hold on to, regardless of what happened.
Absolutely
I noticed you have more females than males on your list. I love that you’re all for women’s power. But if you could have more males, who would they be?
I would really love to work with BNXN because I think he’s really good. I haven’t worked with him directly, but I’ve been in the room where he was writing his lyrics and girlllll, he’s a song writer. At that time, I had just started as a songwriter and I would go to a lot of songwriting camps and that was where I met Buju.
I was privileged to watch him work. He listened to the beat, wrote his verse, and left. And when they played the song, it was amazing. He just came in, did his thing and left, and it was great. I also really want to work with Seyi Vibez. I think his style of music is very unique.
If you were to create a mixtape of your life, a mixtape called Jane Efagwu, which three songs (apart from your songs) would be on it?
One song would be Jazzy’s song by Ayra Starr– I can even curate the entire mixtape with Ayra Starr’s songs because I like her music. Followed by Tems’ Replay. I really like that song. Finally, I love Rhythm and Blues so that’ll be the last song on the mixtape. There’s a lover girl in me even though nobody believes me.
If you could swap lives with any artist for a day, who would it be and why?
I’d swap lives with Rihanna or Nicki Minaj. A huge part of my career has been songwriting. In my shy era, I was so focused on songwriting, and even now, I want people to know me as a lyrically strong writer. So, most of the artists I look up to are good writers.
So, I’d love to swap with Nicki to learn about her songwriting process, and I’d love to swap with Rihanna, too, to see her rationale behind being such a great artist one day and then moving fully into business the next day.
What’s Next for Jane Efagwu?
What’s next for you? Can we expect more singles, an album or an EP soon?
I want to drop another single in December because the single itself sounds like a December tune. It has a celebratory, party vibe—like Astronomical, but a bit different. I’m sure people would love it.
I want to do an EP next year. I won’t say the date yet, but there will be an EP next year. The songs are ready, but I’ll need to go back and tweak them a bit. I know I’ll be super busy at work this December but I’ll try my best to push out new music this December.
Where do you see yourself in five years—not just as the artist, Jane Efagwu, but as a person?
I just turned 26 on Saturday, so I’ll be 31 five years from now. I want to have released so much amazing music and built a thriving community of people who support my music. It would also be pretty great to be a touring artist five years from now.
The concept of having global demand as an artist is pretty amazing, and I would like that, too. I hope that I’m able to register myself in other aspects of culture outside music, including fashion, film, movies, food, and anything else, to give me that well-rounded growth.
Finally, if you could headline a music festival anywhere in the world as Jane Efagwu, where would it be?
I’d really like to headline Coachella or Glastonbury festival abroad. As a Nigerian, I’d love to have my own show in December or do one of those campus tours from UniLag to UniBen and others. I find it intimidating because students can be harsh, but I’d love to do it if I had a really well-knit community. So yeah, December shows and Campus tours.
Stream Astronomical here.