Lojay | |
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| Born | Lekan Osifeso Junior[1] (1996-04-28)28 April 1996 (age 29) |
| Origin | Ogun State |
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| Years active | 2016–present |
Lekan Osifeso Jr. (born 28 April 1996), popularly known asLojay, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and producer.[2][3] He peaked at number 8 on theBillboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart with a remix of his song "Monalisa" withSarz, which featuresChris Brown.[4][5] He received a nomination forthe Headies Award for Next Rated artiste at the2022 Headies Award.[6][7]
In 2023, Lojay alongside Nigerian singerDavido were featured on the song "Sensational" byChris Brown. The song debuted at number 71 on theBillboard Hot 100, serving as Davido and Lojay's first entry on the chart.[8] The song earned him his first career nomination at theGrammy Awards, receiving a nomination in theBest African Music Performance category.[9]
Lekan Osifeso Jnr was born and raisedLagos, he lived inIkorodu and later moved toVictoria Island with his family. He graduated from theUniversity of Portsmouth, UK in 2018.[10] Lekan has shown great potential and inclination towards music since he was a child. While in secondary school atNigerian Turkish Secondary School in Nigeria, he was in a local rap group called Dkoy. While in Dkoy he released hits like Kilode. As his mother was a pastor, Osifeso went to church regularly, as a family routine during his formative years.[11] While growing up, Chris Brown was one of his favorite singers.[12][11]
Lojay's stage name is an abbreviation of the first letters of his full name "LekanOsifesoJunior" (LO-J). He picked interest in music and singing as an adolescent. And pursued his passion through his teenage years.[1] He is fluid with the genre of music he does and switches from one gnere to the other. In an interview withNataal, he said[11]
"I don't have a genre and I'm not going to put myself in a box just because people expect it....anyone that wants to put me in a box is free to do so. As long as you are jamming and connecting to the gbedu(song), you can call it anything you want. If I do rock tomorrow, nobody should fight me."
He started music professionally in 2016 on a part-time basis while he was still an undergraduate and then went on to focus solely on music after obtaining his degree.[2] In December 2017, Lojay released his debutEP, Midnight Vibes, which consisted of five tracks. The titles of the tracks from the EP are "Atarodo", "Alomo", "Kele", "10K Splaw" and "Whine & Bubble".[13]
In 2019, he released the single "Ariel" and in 2020 he released another single titled "Ogogoro". Between his initial sojourn into the music industry in 2016 and the release of his breakout songs in 2021, Lojay dropped several singles including "Along, Kuli Kuli, Over the Bar" amongst others.
In May 2021, his sophomore EP titledLV N ATTN (stylized from Love and Attention), which was a duet EP alongside producerSarz, was released.LV N ATTN is a five track EP that contained his breakout single "Tonongo",[14] the song "Monalisa", which he went on to remix with Chris Brown,[15] ,"LV N ATTN", in which he featuredWizkid,[16] "Panty!" and "Park O X3". The body of work earned a nomination forThe Headies Award for Next Rated artist forThe Headies 2022.[6] In November 2021, he andZlatan Ibile were featured byDJ Neptune on the song titled "Only fan".[17]
In 2022, he took part in the HeinekenUEFA Champions League trophy tour in Nigeria.[18][19]
In March 2023, Lojay released his second solo EP titledGangster Romantic.[20] "Monalisa" was certified Silver by theBritish Phonographic Industry (BPI) later that month.[21]
| Year | Name | Featured Artist | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | XOXO | Tyla,Odeal,Feid,Victony | Debut Album |
| Year | Work Title | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Midnight Vibes | Debut EP | [13] |
| 2021 | LV N ATTN | Collaborative EP withSarz | [22] |
| 2023 | Gangster Romantic | 7-track EP featuring DJ Maphorisa and Kabza De Small | [20] |
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Afro [23] | |||
| "Monalisa (Remix)" (withSarz featuringChris Brown) | 2022 | 8 | Non-album single |
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certification | Album | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NGR [24] | NLD Tip [25] | NZ Hot [26] | SA [27] | SUR [28] | UK [29] | US [30] | ||||
| "Sensational" (Chris Brown featuringDavido and Lojay) | 2023 | 12 | 7 | 7 | 17 | 4 | 45 | 71 | 11:11 | |
| Title | Year | Certification | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Monalisa" (withSarz) | 2021 | LV N ATTN |
| Year | Award ceremony | Prize | Recipient/Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | The Headies | The Headies Award for Next Rated | Himself | Nominated |
| Best Afrobeats Single of the Year | "Monalisa" - Lojay & Sarz | Nominated | ||
| Headies' Viewer's Choice | Nominated | |||
| Best Afrobeats Single of the Year | Nominated |