Afrobeats built on vibes lacks soul and lyricism – FireBoy DML

Adedamola Adefolahan, popularly known as Fireboy DML, has asserted that prior to his rise, the Afrobeats scene was characterized by mere “vibes” and lacked genuine “soul and lyricism.”

During a recent interview with BET, Fireboy elaborated on his perspective, stating that he identified his distinct sound and subsequently carved out his own sub-genre within Afrobeats. He contended that unlike mainstream Afrobeats, his genre possesses “depth” and offers more substantive content.

He said, “The Afrobeats scene before I came in. It was built on vibes. But I realized that there was something lacking, and that was pure soul and lyricism in our music. That was what I brought into the game. That’s why I call it Afro-Life — it’s Afrobeats that has some depth to it.”

Fireboy said listening to artists like Elton John, James Blunt, Celine Dion, Wande Coal and 2Baba while growing up inspired the kind of music he makes.