By Tope Agbeyo

Before we begin, it is important that I point out that this short essay is not a critical evaluation of Boy Spyce or his eponymous debut EP.  I will make an effort to be tangentially objective but I will not promise you a flawlessly logical analysis of this body of work. After all, this writer believes that music is subjective. Much is said about chord progression, about songwriting, breath control, production- all of these are important of course- but at the end of the day, like every art form, I believe what matters most is how a song makes you feel.

And boy, did Boy Spyce make me feel!

I first came across Boy Spyce in 2021. Like most people, our first meeting was on the screen of my mobile phone. Then, he was just another lanky, wide-eyed boy with a dream. His hair was still black, barely combed. He wore a sleeveless tie dye shirt. He was outdoor, singing without sparing a glance for the barely bewildered passer-by. He was singing a cover of Wizkid’s Essence with complete abandon. If he cared about anything else apart from the music then, it was imperceptible. And that cover was good. It was so good I binge-watched every single video on his page- then some. I even went on YouTube and I found a single he had released titled, ‘Smile’. I loved it. I listened, and learned the lyrics within a week.

For most people, after that viral cover, he posted one more video on the 19th of April, 2021 then he disappeared. Not for me though, I will meet Boy Spyce just a week after that.

Sometime in April of 2021, I had an interview at the Mavin HQ for a role and there he was in a bucket hat, reclining comfortably on a sofa in the company’s lounge. I was seated right across from him but I didn’t say anything to him then. I’m not exactly the most social person. In fact, I won’t say anything to Boy Spyce till months later when we started planning his unveil. (Yeah, I got the job).

You see, there are people like me who despite having been in tough places remain in constant search of tenderness. There are people like me who love stories. People to whom music is both acceptance and escape; an invite-only dive into the soul of the artiste. I love music. But I must confess, my love is not unconditional. I ask for too much. I am incredibly hard to please.

Boy Spyce had been under the tutelage of Don Jazzy and Mavin Records as far back as 2020. He was already tied to Mavin over a year before that viral video I saw alongside 600,000 other people. Knowing this before hearing his EP rubbed the sheen off that freestyle for me a little to be honest. I knew now, first-hand, how effective the Mavin star-making machine is. I know their capacity for excellence. The freestyle, despite being organic and impressive started to look like a highly ingenious feint. I lost the emotional connection I initially felt for the lanky boy in a sleeveless tie-dye shirt. In its place, I gained a sizeable modicum of respect for the artiste. I started to expect much from him too.

Expectations can be a dangerous thing. This is why many people say it is better not to meet your heroes. However, in this case, meeting Boy Spyce was kind of my job. While I was a bit apprehensive, I met Boy Spyce- the musician on an unremarkable Thursday afternoon,  in the Marketing office at Mavin HQ. The first song I heard off his now released EP was ‘Dreams’ and even then, I, like many others sitting around that roundtable knew we’ve found something special. I have never had a lover leave me to pursue a new life in Greece, but I could have had one with how the song made me feel. The second song ‘Bad Things’ made me want to do bad things. The third ‘Wayo’ made me feel like the number 1 car dealer in Africa. The fourth, ‘Nobody’, keep compelling me to make a dangerous confession. And I will sing the final song, ‘Destiny’, to the mirror everyday till my hustle pay off.

I can wax lyrical about Boy Spyce’s vocal finesse, his pen game. I can delve into the project’s sublime production, the artiste’s breath control, his sonic range. I can quip about how the EP rose to number 1 on the Nigeria Apple Albums chart in less than 24 hours of release.

But honestly, who cares?

If you love music the way I do, then you will understand that you love the songs you love. Period.