Nigerian-born Toronto artist, producer and musician, Idris Lawal is proud to release his debut solo EP – an unapologetically black and conceptual project, driven by his genre-bending ‘afrobop’ fusion sound that blends RnB and soul music with afropop, hip-hop, afrobeats and highlife, aptly titled “Young, Black & Blue.” The EP comes on the back of a stellar past twelve months for Idris, which has seen him garner support from Complex, Earmilk, BandCamp and The Native Magazine among others, while also building a growing loyal fanbase in Toronto through a string of sold-out performances.
The exciting 7-track EP was largely produced by Idris Lawal himself, save for two songs ‘Fools’ and ‘Heal’, which were produced by longtime collaborators Kyu and Antion, with contributions from saxophonist Jelani Watson and backing vocalist Sydnee Croft, and it follows Idris’ own life experiences. In a world that he feels has been very slow to understand what it is to be black – from the different shades of our beauty to the intricacies of our diverse cultures – Idris Lawal is slowly finding his own balance between his roots, self and his identity, and these all play out across this beautifully crafted project.
Having lived in four countries across three different continents, Idris Lawal has been blessed to be exposed to the different cultures. The values he has picked up as a result, as well as the constant reminder from family to never forget his own roots are the reasons he is the man he is today. Idris Lawal is young, unapologetically black & blue – but healing. Young, Black & Blue is about Idris’ experience as a black man and how this experience has shaped his world view. Sonically, the project often flows between youthful up-tempo and bluesy down-tempo, mirroring just how quick black people can be put through the highs and lows of life.
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