Paradise, Now & Forever: Obongjayar Sizes Up an Impactful Debut at WOMADelaide
Obongjayar’s voice has become one of music’s most in-demand out of the UK in recent years. Adelaide music fans will get to fall under its spell in March.
Words Sosefina Fuamoli // Image George Muncey
To be in Obongjayar’s presence is an invitation to lose oneself completely in charisma and pure talent. As a live performer, the London-based Nigerian artist is a firebrand; a clash of sonic cultures brought together with raw sensuality and an almost punk attitude to performance.
Australian fans were able to get their first taste of the Obongjayar live experience when he toured his acclaimed 2022 record, Sometimes I Dream Of Doors. In March, Obongjayar returns with his new project, Paradise Now; for Adelaide music lovers, he invites you to as above, come and get lost in the energy of it all, when he debuts the record at the end of the tour, at WOMADelaide.
“I can’t wait, I’m very excited about these shows coming up,” Obongjayar tells us. “It’s been a while since I’ve been to Australia, it will be my first time in New Zealand. I was talking to my team and we’re going to try and do some more club meets with fans while we’re over there. Things that are a lot more intimate, so we can really get a feel for the place. I’m glad that the record has been taken the way it has been, it’s something I’m very proud of. It’s a step in the right direction for me.”
Since releasing Paradise Now in May, Obongjayar has been performing consistently throughout this year, touring the UK and Europe, while also popping up on stops of Little Simz’s 2025 run in support of her latest record, Lotus.
The two artists, both part of this current wave of game-changing artists championing diverse art out of the African diaspora, are frequent collaborators – to see how both Obongjayar and Simz have been able to draw and command crowds of thousands speaks to the power of their work.
For Obongjayar, his music blends Afrobeat with contemporary soul, electronic and R&B; the DNA of hip hop and spoken word woven effortlessly throughout. The deluxe version of Paradise Now, simply titled Paradise Now & Forever, expands on his unique palette of influences.
As he explains, the record is an evolution.
“I made so many songs for this album that we had to do a deluxe version,” he explains. “The thing with the deluxe album is that it carries on the life of the original record. It definitely is an evolution of what it is that I do, of how I write songs and music. I’m writing in a way that is from me, but for everyone. I’m not trying to gatekeep music or ideas, I don’t think music should be gatekept. It’s art. Art is for everyone. It’s functional.
“If you’re able to construct a project, a song, whatever it is that you do, in a way that people can use across their lives…if it’s clear enough that anyone can understand what it is, that’s a successful thing. I’m still figuring it out. Some Nights I Dream Of Doors is when I started thinking in that way and then Paradise Now is a step up from that.”
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A big believer in the wide-ranging power of music and the influence it can have on anyone at any point in their lives, Obongjayar has poured this ethos into each facet of his artistry.
From the records he has spearheaded, to the performances with other artists that have made his voice globally recognised (his 2024 collaboration with Fred again…, ‘adore u’, is Platinum-certified in Australia alone), the vision for the artist remains the same.
“I’m just vibing,” he laughs. “We’re having fun and being as honest as possible with the music. At the end of the day, that’s all you can do. Just be honest. It’s about the music, it’s about the feeling you get when you play music or make it. It’s about being in touch with that feeling. I’m grateful to be blessed with this gift and I’m not taking it for granted, that’s for sure.”
Paradise Now & Forever is an album that is meant to be experienced as a whole body of work, but if the listener finds attachment to any one song or moment; a moment of significance that they are able to take away with them, then Obongjayar is satisfied.
“Everybody’s life is different, what everybody has time for is different,” he says. “If you can create something that cuts across every walk of life and allows every single person to have a moment of that bliss, then I think you’ve done a good job.
“I’m writing in a way that is from me, but for everyone. I’m not trying to gatekeep music or ideas, I don’t think music should be gatekept. It’s art. Art is for everyone. If you’re able to construct a project, a song, whatever it is that you do, in a way that people can use across their lives…if it’s clear enough that anyone can understand what it is, that’s a successful thing.”
Catch Obongjayar performing at WOMADelaide on Sunday 8 March 2026. Tickets on sale now via womadelaide.com.au.
