Tipped by Tidal and Audiomack this year as one of Africa’s artists to watch, Afro-fusion artist Tim Lyre is trained in piano and plays the Guitar, Organ and Bass. Get more familiar with this VIPER interview…

What five words define your sound?

Original, Unique, Versatile, Cool, Nigerian.

Tell me something unique about your creative process

I often write like I’m having a conversation with the listener, I feel it makes it more personal and easier to connect with.

Which song of yours would you like people to hear first?

‘Hubris’ featuring Lex Amor.

What inspired you to make that song?

I felt stuck at the time and was going through a period of self-doubt and so I made the song to inspire confidence in myself and others.

What’s the most vulnerable you’ve allowed yourself to be when writing/making music?

I’m a very heart-on-sleeve type of artist in general but I have a song called ‘Real’ which is probably the most vulnerable I’ve been.

What’s the best/worst experience you’ve had on stage?

Best experience – my first headline in London in 2022 / Worst experience – I don’t have one.

What is your favourite song to perform?

‘Confess’, the crowd gets into it.

Which artist/song/album made you want to make music?

‘Asa’ by Asa – a self titled album by my favourite artist.

What’s the meaning behind your name?

Tim is for my first name, Timothy and Lyre is after a bird called a Lyrebird which has the ability to mimic pretty much any sound in nature/it’s environment, picked that part of the name because of my range. 

If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing instead?

I’d probably be a lawyer, I’ve got the degree to boot. 

What’s success to you?

Making people who listen to my music feel that much better about themselves and making music with artists from all over the world. Touring and getting to see the world too and importantly, making sure me and my people are good. 

What moment in your life/career forced you to change direction?

2020 – COVID/Lockdown times. I had a lot of time on my hands to really evaluate what I wanted to do with my music and how to go about it and I’ve been a lot more focused since then.

Where can people keep in touch with you?

You can find me as @timlyre on IG, Twitter and TikTok.