When something is a part of who you are, it naturally has a strong presence in what you do. When Chike creates music, his Igbo heritage gleams through.

Following his initial stardom as the runner-up in the inaugural season of “The Voice Nigeria” in 2016, the Nigerian singer-songwriter went from covering songs to starting his own discography with Boo of the Booless in 2020. The debut album featured “Running,” which by the following year, went on to transform into the remix hit single “Running (To You)” with Simi.

While Chike received multiple Headie nominations for Boo of the Booless, he won his first Headie Award in 2023 for Best R&B Album with his sophomore album The Brother’s Keeper.

Each of his previous projects incorporated Igbo language, and Chike’s latest album Son of Chike is no different. However, this third time around is more of a grand musical celebration of his roots.

“I am Osebuka, the son of my father, and this album symbolizes and celebrates my heritage and identity as a #SonOfChike and my new musical offspring joining the ranks of those that came before,” the Gangs of Lagos actor wrote in an Instagram post announcing the release of his third studio album in July.

Son of Chike features Olamide, Qing Madi, LADIPOE and Amaeya. Moreover, it features the late Nigerian rapper Mohbad, who collaborated with Chike prior to his untimely passing in September 2023. He appears on “Egwu,” which has been marked as one of Chike’s biggest hits.

In January, the song hit No. 1 on Turntable’s Official Nigeria Top 100.

Amid the album's success, REVOLT spoke with Chike about the overarching message behind the project, creating “Egwu” with the late Mohbad in one studio session, and what it means to highlight Igbo culture in mainstream music.

You’ve never shied away from putting your Igbo culture on full display, but what was the initial spark that made you take the route you did with making Son of Chike — from the album title and cover to the tracklist?

I believe that a person is always way more comfortable expressing themselves in their language, which should be the language they understand the most. For me, I'm lucky enough to have at least two primary ones, which is Igbo and English.

I've listened to music in that language for the longest time. I know how to express myself in that language … I just knew that there's certain expressions when you put them out in music and conveying them through the language would give a stronger meaning to it. And I also saw it as an avenue. I feel like this is the point in my career [when] I need people to know where I am from. To have a feeling of what makes me, me.

Compared to the making of your debut and sophomore albums, was there something more outside of the box or different from your normal approach when creating Son of Chike?

At the beginning, of course there was more of my normal approach. I think with the second album [The Brother’s Keeper] I dabbled a little with trying to mix things up. With this third one, I would say what was different is I didn't try to over process anything. In as much as I wanted to make something good, I tried not to be extremely critical about it. I mean I was, but once it satisfied me, honestly, I did not try to think “Would it satisfy the listener?” I was just more of, if this makes me feel a certain way, I'm hoping to find a lot more people who it makes feel that way. I didn't go from the angle of “I need a lot of people to feel this way.”

I was very careful with that this time to just make sure that I felt a certain way about the music I was making … There's an amount of music I want to make before I retire — if I retire. While I’m in my heyday, I just need to put out an amount of music. I need people to hear a lot of things because I don't know what's going to happen in my life tomorrow. I don't know what's going to change. So, with this, I almost felt like I was on a clock to not be too critical, just to be me and just keep it moving.

Can you tell me about making “Egwu” and the dynamic you and Mohbad built musically?

We had met because he was recording a body of work, and he had a song that he believed was befitting and that I was going to sit well into. His team had reached out to me. I really loved the record. ‘Til today I play that record by myself to remember him and to remember how great the record was. Summarily, when he was about to leave, my producer who had come just to take my vocals that day decided to play beats. So, my producer wasn't there to produce, he was just there to take my vocals for the song. He played a beat and just insisted. I just did the chorus and Moh, he literally just vibed right back and the song just happened. The song was one session. And I'm happy we didn't go in and touch it.

As for my personal relationship with him, I would always tell people that we were already warming up to become good friends because at that point when we talked, it didn't used to be about music. It just used to be about checking up on each other just to be like, “I'm in this country now. How's it going? Have you landed?” ... I believe we could have been really good friends and even with the way the music performed after it came out, we could have been way better friends. It was unfortunate, the tragedy that happened.

It’s been beautiful to see the feedback for the record and it’s continuing to grow as well. I love when music continues to grow and live on, and I feel like it’s honoring his life and it’s a part of his legacy not even just as an artist, but as a person.

Another one of the standout features on the album is Qing Madi, who is a teen sensation. How was it working with her?

When I make an album, I want to balance it. I want to have guys in it, I need some female vocals. Most times I check out for ladies who I'm a fan of — ladies who I’ve listened to their work — and Qing Madi happens to be one of them. I reached out to her manager, and she came around and we made the record [“Your Loss”]. I enjoyed making the record with her. I always tell people that she's just so happy and free-spirited and I miss those days for me, like maybe six, seven years ago. And some days even now I try to remember that I can still be very happy and free-spirited.

We made the music, and it was good. She had her own ideas. Even when I suggested my own ideas, she was able to take that and mix it up with hers and bring out something fantastic. We had her manager in the studio that day. It was all fun.

What does it mean to you to be a part of bringing Igbo culture more into mainstream music alongside artists like Flavour and Phyno?

I'm just happy to be doing it. I feel privileged to be doing it. I feel privileged that I'm in that place where I'm opportune to be from this culture and I understand the language enough to express myself that way. I don't put too much thought to it. I try not to for the most part.

Yeah, because at the end of the day, it's who you are. You're not really thinking about it.

Exactly, it's not who I'm trying to be. That's who I am already.

You’ve tapped into genres like R&B, pop and Amapiano, but is there another genre you would love to explore in the near future?

I think right now there's a mix and match of a lot of things happening. When I make music, I honestly don't go in immediately thinking of genre. I'm going hoping to express myself the best I can. And whatever genre of music is playing at the studio at that time, I walk with it.

If it's Amapiano at that time and it sounds right, then we tilt towards that, but I don't go in attempting a genre in particular, I don't think. If I were to do that, most times, if I'm to be very intentional about that, it's probably going to be so soulful or highlife, but I don't go in that way.

You were recently in London for a show. How was that? Was that your first time in London?

It wasn’t my first time in London. It was my third time in London for a show. Every experience is unique.

Are you planning on making any more stops this year?

I think my guys are talking about other cities where we should make a stop … You know how these things are, it’s fluid. Sometimes it’s about how to get there and what is possible, but my social media is there and anytime there are new venues and new dates, we put it up immediately. Yes, there are conversations for sure, but it’s not cast in stone.

Check out Son of Chike now on streaming platforms.