Across the new school of Afrobeats singers, Llona stands out as a distinct voice echoing with deep emotions.
Across the new school of Afrobeats singers, Llona stands out as a distinct voice, echoing with deep emotions. His stretchy, lithe vocals drip like fresh paint on a canvas, weaving his discography into a portrait of candid life experiences.
In every track the rising star has released, including his most recent Another Day, Llona continues to create music that feels like mushy hugs on a sour day.
Born Michael Ajuma Attah, the sonic healer honed his influences in music from his childhood days in Kogi State, in North-Eastern Nigeria. From hustling to perform on local stages in neighboring Kano to going viral with his freestyles on social media, Llona’s commitment to spreading his music is equally inspiring as his art. The singer started his music career as a rapper, closely resembling his icon Olamide under the moniker TooClassiq. He then moved to Lagos several years later to begin a purge — shedding his skin as a hard-hitting emcee to the soft-toned vocalist stirring hearts with his therapeutic melodies.
With the likes of Omah Lay, Magixx, Qing Madi, BNXN, and a host of others surfing a new wave in the evolution of Nigerian music with their emo-pop discographies, Llona is a strong voice, set further to entrench this style into the core of the industry. We catch up with the young singer to explore his passion-filled muses, come-up, and mission to create melodies that hover as safe havens for today’s youth.
What was your journey into the music scene like?
I officially started from Kano. I was doing my thing in the streets because, at that time, we would buy forms to perform, climb on stage, and showcase our talents. When I came to Lagos in 2015, It became more serious. Since then, it has been going from one competition to the other. I started with music competitions. The ones that had record labels to it, or the ones that had price tags to it, because at the end of the day, I wanted to do more. Although, I mixed it up with other jobs. In 2019, I made my entrance into the industry as Tooclassiq. I had a song that went viral but left me behind there. Lyta was in the song, but nobody knew there was another person in the song. So, my journey into the music industry has been like moving from one phase to another or from one chapter to another.
How was life in Kano, and did you grow up there?
Yeah, I grew up there with my mom. My mom is a traveler. From Kogi, she travels to Kano and Kaduna, but I spent most of my life in Kaduna. That is where I can say I had friends and all that stuff. Growing up in Kano, I grew up with my stepfather, who was an inspector. At that time in 2015, there was this Boko Haram issue, and he became like a target. So, our movement was often quick. We moved at the slightest suspicious movement, so there was no time to bond with friends or have relationships because before I could make friends in one place, my mom was already moving to another location. I grew up in Badawa, and then Hausa boys often called me Olamide because I was imitating Olamide so well during the Voice of the Street period. Growing up in Kano was tough, but one of the things I learned was discipline. That experience gave me strength, discipline, and different perspectives on life.
How did that nomadic life influence your personality?
Now that I have grown up, it made me realize that I quickly get bored of things, and it has affected me. When I am in a location, as my mum would, I feel unwanted and tired of the place or depressed. It has shifted my life and made me not dwell on things that easily. I had this trauma of all the friends I have. I know that one day, I will be six feet down the ground. You feel me.
What were you listening to growing up?
I was listening to a lot of Olamide. He has been a major inspiration.
Were you trying to be a rapper?
Yeah, I was once a rapper and had a project out titled 4 AM that had me rapping.
What was your stage name as a rapper, then?
TooClassiq. As I said, I was going to competitions. I went for TVC Rap or Drop in 2017. I won Lagos Cool Breeze and some other competitions. I was going to rap competitions, but along the line, I stopped because I did not want to be that artist who got tied to this thing. You know we have to eat, and these artists place a price tag on their beats and tell you to hop on it, but at some point, I stopped because I didn’t want to be that type of artist. You know, you can get boxed easily in the Nigerian music industry. So, I had to cut all of that off. I noticed over time that people engage more with my freestyle videos than my music, and I don’t want to be that kind of artist. I want to be a different artist. It’s not like whenever I post online, that’s only when you remember me.
How did you transition into Liona?
There was an artist called T-classic, and his music was out. So, whenever I see it, I always see my name too. And you know, people forget too quickly. I cannot have my name mixed with my upcoming stage name, and it was an issue for me, but I could not change my name because I had released an EP and a hit song, but people did not know me. You know? It is terrible. I was so scared of everything I had built. Secondly, my cousin, brother Deji, and even my sister said I was beyond this. At the peak of TooClassiq, I was not in the conversation. Nobody talks about TooClassiq. Nobody knew who I was, and that troubled me. My peak is not determined by how popular I am. My level of creativity defines my growth. One morning, I woke up and hated everything that had to do with that name, and the record label I was trying to join already crashed. My boss and I had already gone beyond. I was just somebody he did not believe he could bet on. He did not know anything about the industry. He just believed in me and put out money, which he gave to the wrong people. So, the kind of relationship I had with him was like a family. When he where he was, I knew he was an overthinker, so I decided to join him there so that he would not overthink, not knowing that God was taking me on a different journey. At that time, Lagos was so noisy. When you turn here, everything is just the same. Everything was so chaotic, and it was not my thing. So, I went to Abuja to join him. That is where we started. That is where the Llona journey began, and we started transforming. I started going to the mountains to write songs because it is where I find peace. I go there to smoke, write songs, and return. Whenever I want to write songs again, I climb the mountain. However, things got worse. It looked like I was mutilating, and even when you see a small light, it just goes dark shortly after. That kind of thing.
As an artist, I have never had someone who showed me direction. I always had to go through struggles. So, I got to that place I was scared of, and the fear of loneliness crept in. I used to have my cousin around me. I went to him whenever I felt lonely, and we smoked and laughed together, but now, he was not close by. God took me away from my family and friends, from everybody, and it was me, my music, and my world.
Is this a style you would like to latch onto in your future music?
Honestly, I see my people text me to say they are always worried about me changing my style and not becoming whatever the industry has going for itself currently. One thing I want them to understand is that it is me. I tend to become depressed whenever I stray from my purpose for even two days. So, it is not even about you right now. I have been in relationships, and none have affected my music negatively. The only thing that makes me write is that I am in pain. That is what triggers me to write. So, even if I am in a relationship, the only time you hear about my relationship is when something is wrong.
How do you approach art?
It is overwhelming because I am still developing myself. My emotions get so clouded by writing these songs that I cannot avoid breaking down. After recording, sometimes, I may want to use the restroom, but that is just me shedding tears. I am not an artist who only records five or ten songs. Every song I record must be released. If you play a beat and I am not in sync with it, you will never hear me say a thing. That’s because when I’m vibing, I don’t think of the melody that goes. I like to record alone, where everything in that studio, from the producer to the feelings in the studio, the spirit to get to the music, has put me in a mindset that I can’t do without breaking down. After every song, I break down because I keep listening to it over again.
Your latest record is Another Day. Tell us about it.
Another Day is like a year of my life compiled into one song. As I said, my mum is very stubborn, and I am the firstborn of my family. I took my mum away from my stepfather as soon as I started getting some money because I was waiting for that time. You know what it means to be a stepmother. It is not like a swag now. These things make them submissive to a fault. My stepfather is an inspector, so he used psychology for criminals and all that on us. He fucked me up so many times, so immediately I had some money, I took my mum away from him, and that is how the marriage ended. They did not have to discuss to dissolve the marriage. Till now, he does not know where my mum lives. I often wake up every day to one issue or another. Maybe I am in my feelings, and I start telling my story. I have no one or nothing to fall back to. It is not that I have a career I can fall back on if this does not work out. If this does not work for me, there is nothing to fall back on.
What are your thoughts on people seeking therapy?
As much as I try to make my music therapeutic for people, I still believe people need to talk to real therapists. That’s why sometimes, I spill so much information. If I want to have conversations like this, I’m always in my feelings. Something is wrong with many people in the industry, and it’s not nice for us to blame each other. I’m deep into politics and everything happening around the world, and that almost fucks you up at the same time because it makes you see life differently. It makes you see freedom differently, especially coming from a country where we are so fucked up, and people do not even understand the gravity of the situation, that is, how fucked up we are as a nation. I cannot be going through family crises, and you expect me to profess love, too, do you understand? I have always done my thing, but many people reach out to tell me this is exactly how they feel whenever I release my songs.
What informed picking Bella Shmurda for your HBP duet?
Firstly, a big shout out to my brother Bella. He is an amazing guy. As a sensitive person, many people will regard you as difficult to work with and proud in the industry. They can quickly call you names, and I cannot work with you if we are not friends. We have to share a moment. I have to know you, and you have to know me. That is how I work. For us to work together, we must have attained a certain level in our friendship that I treasure, one I cannot trade for anything, not even an A-list feature. Bella texted me, and for him to have texted me with the situation at the time, you could tell it was from a genuine place. He had so much to say, and the night he texted me was when we recorded the song. We went to his place with my manager, and even before we recorded, we shared some moments and had interestingly hard conversations. So, before I can collaborate with you, I have to know you and maybe be friends with you.
So, what’s next for you now?
Honestly, I think the time is now because right from Nobody, I’ve been lining up songs. When I released Comforter, I knew people would doubt me and one of the things I hate is when people take my craft as a joke. Even with HBP, I knew people would still doubt me, which was why, for Another Day, I came with chaos.
It is time to make people understand who I am and where I’m coming from. I will do that with my project. I am at your door.
What would you like people to experience from your artistry?
I want people to know that I am not perfect and have never wanted to be perfect. Secondly, I want people to know they are not alone. That is why I will not tell lies in my music. I say it how it is. I want people to hear my name and see through me. I want them to see me as someone who is trying to make the world a peaceful place.
Listening to Llona speak opens your mind to a realm from whence his music resonates. A burdened soul seeking peace and freedom, determined to reach the ends of the earth with his gospel. A new harmony for a new day.
