On The Come-Up: Emerging Afro-Fusion Artist Kvngs Makes His Claim For The Throne!
This article was drafted by Norman Busigu
Image supplied by Kvngs
“If It’s Not Greatness, I’m Not involved!”
This was the emphatic statement which the South London raised, Ibadan (Nigeria) rooted Afro-Fusion artist Kvngs (real name Samuel) closed out our conversation with. And to be completely honest, this ambitious affirmation from the 27-year-old accurately represents his undeniable desire to “go places that are unheard of and do unimaginable things!” Possessing the psyche of a Yoruba warrior (a group historically revered as highly disciplined and spiritually fortified) in pursuit of a long-lasting legacy, he proudly makes declarations on songs such as Hear Me Now (Freestyle) like “dem go find your boy at the Grammys” that show his eyes are firmly fixated on the prize at all times…
Having previously been selected as an opening act for the Ghanaian superstar Stonebwoy during his London Headline show in 2023, to rocking a Monday-night crowd at Obi’s House in Lagos, Kvngs’ global footprint is starting to form – and in his view, nothing in his life is by chance or coincidental: “I haven’t just stumbled across music… I have been picked and chosen to do music”. He firmly regards his career choices as being both his “destiny” and “higher calling”. With complete confidence in his individuality, he boldly brushed away my comparison of his styles (i.e. cadences, charisma and song compositions) to those of Burna Boy, Gabzy and Maleek Berry, letting it be known that “I don’t want to compare myself to anyone; I am one of one.” And having seen him perform live twice, I can speak to the strong stage presence which he uniquely commands, and thoroughly entertaining performances that he delivers.
If you pay close attention, there is a reoccurring theme subtly woven throughout much of Kvngs’ infectiously serenading and smooth discography (catered in duality to the ladies and hustlers/go-getters), spanning across his 2 EP’s (Sounds of Love and Fvrst Kvngs) and numerous singles sprinkled in-between: his seemingly prophetic proclamations and foreshadowing of enduring success which he truly believes is inevitable in the not-too-distant future. Indeed, in his words, “if the best exists, I want to be a part of it…” which is reflective of the gold standard that he strives to attain in both art and business – this goes some way to explain his unwavering motivation towards being/winning at the Grammys. The sentiments of an underdog mentality which he appears to harbour, echo throughout tracks like Shayo Therapy where he rhetorically sings “I guess it’s me they’re underestimating (?), greatness I’m embracing…”.
Image supplied by Kvngs
While talking to him, it became evident that Kvngs understands and practises an important philosophical principle - the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. To this effect, he has consciously constructed a tight network around him (namely the team at UNCHRTD.MUSIC), with every piece intentionally serving its function while still maintaining a familial feeling – as opposed to becoming a transactional machine. Therefore, the “greatness” he aspires to, it seems, will be the result of a concerted and collective effort, as opposed to an individual one. And this cohesion all comes together in the high-quality offerings he presents to his audiences - the songs, reels, vlogs and music videos.
The sincerity of which he talks about those around him (notably Victor, Kairos, Dan Kabz Kayzee, Tolu and Phinny) makes it clear that he wants everyone to succeed in their own capacities, as much as he does from his own. This truth really hit home for me as Kvngs candidly expressed to me, “I’ve come to a point where I know my destiny is attached to my career, because I know there’s a lot of people who won’t make it if I don’t”. They say that art mirrors life, and with lyrics such as “I put my heart on the instrumental” (the opening line on Disconnect), it is clear that his journey is much deeper than just music. Given that others are depending on him, the stakes to succeed are high.
I was extremely intrigued through our interview - before even talking music - to understand why he possesses such a mentality, as an urgency can be felt in most of his songs. And what he revealed to me, made everything make sense. In his younger years, he excelled as a natural athlete, to the extent that he used to represent his borough in a range of sports including indoor athletics. For Kvngs, he acknowledges that he is very competitive as a result, and clearly this spur to be the best in a sporting arena has spilled over into other realms of his life – including music.
Image supplied by Kvngs
The Beginning Of A New Chapter
Now over 5 years deep in his craft – having organically curated what is becoming a signature sound and a solid fanbase (with approximately 136,000 monthly listeners on Spotify), things it seems are now really starting to bubble for Kvngs… He is on the cusp of achieving his first 1 million streams for his breakout song Perfectly Imperfect (of which he is currently sitting just above 931,000). This is a milestone which he hopes to fulfil by the end of this month (March 2026). For Kvngs, approaching this mountain peak has sparked an incredibly sentimental moment of reflection for him. When I asked him what this means to him, he sincerely expressed that it is the realisation that “dreams do come true; it’s a beautiful thing to see come to light… it’s the start of greatness”.
Ruminating for a moment on how the song even came into existence, he recalled the moment where he presented this song to his team, to which they all unanimously, immediately and instinctively claimed that the song “would be big”. Riddled with disbelief, Kvngs quickly managed his expectations for what the song could achieve. Now laughing at his initial stance, he reveals that he honestly didn’t expect the song to garner more than 80,000 streams. For him, even this was an overly ambitious expectation, going on to truthfully say “let me not even lie… these are numbers we haven’t done before… my biggest track at the time was 90,000 (streams) - and doing this with no label (him being an independent artist), no playlisting, no funding… This was me coming to my friends and saying this is my idea, and this will work… This is not my 1 million - this is our first 1 million”.
Speaking with unconditional love about the seasoned producer Dan Kabz (who has crafted songs for the likes of Rimzee, Ling Hussle and Natalie Okri) who he regards as his “brother”, he let it be known that “Dan was the first person to believe in me; I owe him the world”.
Image supplied by Kvngs
From After-School Studios To Big Stages – The Origins Of Kvngs’ Sound
If this is where Kvngs exists at in 2026 – being on the verge of his first 1 million streams on a song - I wanted to go back to the genesis of his artistry. Specifically, to gain insight of how he formed his sound, and why Afro-Fusion was his genre of choice to express himself. With initial dreams of being a rapper in secondary school (at this point being in Nigeria, not London), he equipped himself with the skillset of rhyming and composing poems, leading to him winning poetry competitions. A critical moment in this chronicle came when friend Bola took him to his first ever studio in year 8, resulting in both of them making a cover of Post Malone’s song Too Young, with their rendition called Out Of Control.
Once uploaded onto SoundCloud and released into the universe, there was no turning back - this being the Big Bang moment that led him to where we are today… Kvngs recalls the song was so popular it had even reached different schools and people knew him for it! Overnight, he became a local celebrity of sorts, it would seem. Chuckling to himself as he recalled this story, he reflects that “maybe this was my first taste of popularity that made me love it (making music)”.
Another layer of important context he added, is that during secondary school (in the 2010s), he was directly exposed to the sounds of modern Afrobeats as we know it now, while it was developing in real time during its formative stages. Referencing cultural classics like Flavour’s Ashawo that released while he was in Nigeria, he fondly remembers being able to soak up the scene and the growing genre. Up close, he witnessed the rise of the likes of Wizkid and Burna Boy, who would go onto become pioneers and architects of today’s industry. It is during this time that Kvngs also cemented his love for Ice Prince. As Kvngs reflects, “I just love the rhythm of Afrobeats and how it made me feel, and growing up in London (regarded as a melting pot of diverse cultures) gave me exposure to different sounds (notably Dancehall and Grime) … so that is how the Afro-Fusion came into play”.
Indeed, he also notes Tory Lanez and Richie Cambell (alongside Burna Boy and Ice Prince) as his biggest influences, showing how this concoction of sounds and styles all blend together. Ultimately, they serve as “reflections” of who he is – a multi-dimensional artist who doesn’t want to be boxed in. And it is from this, that his signature sound is forming – one which is fun yet focused. Lyrical yet laid back. Complex yet full of charm and charisma. The raw feeling of groove and falling victim to the irresistible desire to dance to his tunes, while also sprinkling in sophisticated and deeply personal messages in the lyrics.
With there being lots of talk around Afrobeats as a genre being in stagnation, this, interestingly enough, is something that does not concern Kvngs too much. His stance on the controversial topic was very balanced, explaining that “we can’t compare it (Afrobeats) to other genres like Rock which have existed for far longer” … Kvngs then highlighted that “Afrobeats is continually evolving” pointing to the fact that “we have different sounds (subgenres) now i.e. Alte”.
The elephant in the room that he feels is yet to be addressed however - and is critical to the survival of the genre - is the urgent need for proper discussions/action on how Afrobeats artists can “monetise properly… like how pop (artists) are monetised well, and how their people are fighting for 2% on records”. For Afrobeats artists, he flags the pitfalls of only exporting “one or the only biggest artists from Africa” at a given moment – a phenomenon that we have seen play out, which arguably restricts the pipeline of new talent to ascend, and severely stifles the overall growth of the entire ecosystem. From a solutions standpoint, Kvngs optimistically suggests that “if we all really knuckle down (as a community) and everyone has awareness of how to monetise in the genre in bigger spaces properly, it will thrive”. For Kvngs, ensuring appropriate monetisation (which is not happening at present at all levels) therefore is key to overcoming this problem.
Authentic Art Vs. The Algorithm – Finding Success on Social Media
It has been previously reported that approximately 120,000 new tracks are released every day on music streaming platforms. One could argue that because of the unresolved complexities of this digital music landscape, it has never been harder than now for (emerging) artists to form a fanbase and properly monetise from music. Especially those who are independent. These challenges are compounded by the fact that the value of one music stream (which varies by platform and territory) generally sits between approximately $0.003 and $0.008 – fundamentally speaking, less than $1. It is hard to imagine a reality where this is sustainable for anyone to financially support themselves i.e. paying the bills. Even just maintaining self-belief and motivation as an artist will be a test in of itself, in trying to navigate what has become an overly saturated marketplace where financial rewards are extremely difficult to reap.
While aware of the difficult landscape to manoeuvre through, Kvngs remains focused on maintaining “steady growth” and proper artist development in favour of virality. A great case study of this, is his favourite song within his catalogue, Popular Loner - whose success of approximately 270,000 streams currently, he divulges, was completely unexpected. Delving deeper into this story, he explains this song “was a transformation for me in terms of pouring my emotions into a track. Popular Loner is a song that has no marketing behind it - not a single penny was spent behind the song… and the fact it’s up there with one of my best performing songs - it just shows what realness and great music can do and how far it really goes. The proof is in the pudding - you don’t need the biggest of teams or crowds, but you can make it happen…”
On a final point of exploration, I wanted to pick his brains on what it feels like to venture this confusing and seemingly exploitative industry which appears to work against the artist. Speaking with a degree of frustration at the reality of the situation, Kvngs shared some insights, saying: “Its 100 advice, 0 helper! I’ll be so honest, nobody tells you the nitty gritty, nobody wants to focus on the actual foundation of being an artist”. With there being little to no blueprints/playbooks to follow in this era, his approach, and his advice to others is to “find ways to promote yourself, and do so in a way that’s catered to you”.
Staying true to his self-dignity and quality of output, he goes on to say “I’ll be real - I don’t want to (make a) fool of myself or sound like a mosquito to go viral, all in the name of music… everyone says Tik Tok, Tik Tok… Yes – it has changed a lot of lives - but think about how many artists (that have gone viral or are big on Tik Tok) that can’t even sell 300 capacity venues, or even get 20-30k monthly listeners.” And it is with this, he finished his point with a powerful rhetorical question that I want to close this article out with, which reflects his admirable passion and long-term pursuits: “So are we here for only a moment, or are we here to have a career?”
Norman Busigu and Kvngs at the Fvrst Kvngs EP listening party
This is our “On The Come-Up” series, where we at Postcards From The Diaspora intentionally spotlight new/emerging talent across a range of disciplines, be it academic, artistic or otherwise. We aren’t focused on selecting those based on social media metrics i.e. followers, likes, engagement etc - but rather, a clear commitment to ones craft, a desire to move the needle forward, and to be of value to our culture and the (Global) community. In whatever shape or form that may take. In this selection for On The Come-Up, we have chosen to showcase Afro-Fusion artist, Kvngs.
