African Music News: Omah Lay is helping others heal with Boy Alone Deluxe (2024)

On June 16, 2023, Omah Lay released the deluxe version of his debut album 'Boy Alone'.

One thing is clear on Omah Lay's 'Boy Alone' deluxe, he's in a better place and he's reaching out to help others heal through a stunning body of work.

When Omah Lay dropped his debut album 'Boy Alone', it was from a place of the pain, purpose, and pleasure that comes with fame.

While music offered him a way out of the dangerous slums of Port Harcourt, he would later realise that his demons still lurked around, and he would again have to find a way out. From choosing to stay on the road to outrun these demons or turning to downers to drown them out or even turning to companionship for help, Omah Lay was locked in a mental and emotional warfare.

The result of the unhindered and bold exploration of his truth is an album that offers an artistic depth that's uncommon in Afrobeats' soundscape.

When listeners got to enjoy the music the melancholy it bears was easily reconcilable in Omah Lay and this had consumers tagging the project as a body of work inspired by depression (Afro-depression). Omah Lay didn't shy away from this reality as he owned up in several interviews that he drew inspiration for the project from his time in a deep dark hole and the music was his cry for help.

In an interview, Omah Lay stated that it takes a level of realness for an artist to draw from such experience and make art. This is a realness that discerning listeners know that the Port-Harcourt-born genre bender possesses in generous quantities. Whether he was crying out to Soso to rid him of his pain or he was explicitly documenting his intentions in a tryst, Omah Lay bares his heart and lets listeners in.

This realness is again on display in the deluxe version of his album as he opens up on his progress after finding light at the end of the tunnel.

Across the 6 new tracks, Omah Lay reaches out to those hurting to soothe their pain through his expert molding of melody and soulful writing.

Haven has undergone self-evaluation over his motivations, Omah Lay extends his help to those grappling with similar pain by sharing personal experiences as he did in 'Reason' where he asks "Are you having fun or are you doing this to survive?"

An Afropop star, Omah Lay's talent is in the superlative and in 'Come Closer' he rolls back the years through a record that brings a rush of nostalgia of P-Sqaure's era-dominating music. Haven found confidence in himself, Omah Lay encourages others to embrace themself and accept their flaws.

His writing shines bright in 'It's Yours' where he reaches out to a lover holding on to the pain of past experiences and encouraging her to let go and trust that what's hers will surely find her.

The capacity of his melodies to tuck at the heart and allow his words to hit the right spot is one of the many strengths of Omah Lay's talent and this quality shines on the deluxe. He opens up his heart in 'Imagine' where he turns to Swing for his record with British rapper Aitch and in 'Joaana' he appears to sing from the depth of his soul like a man in mid-consciousness.

In the deluxe, Omah Lay expertly combines Afropop, Afro-R&B, Amapiano, and Swing for a project that satisfies the yearning of local consumers while reaching out to new territories through collaborations with an established UK rapper and a globally renowned Latino Popstar Ozuna.

Unlike most deluxe where the songs are fitted into the album or placed at the bottom of the pile, Omah Lay elected to offer listeners a refreshing experience by placing the new 6 tracks at the top.

While album deluxe is becoming an increasingly pointless endeavor in Afrobeats that carries no creative or commercial importance, Omah Lay seems to have figured out a way to give his already critically and commercially acclaimed debut even more acclaim.