Award-winning Nigerian musician and producer Jaywon sold over 7 million physical copies of his records before the streaming era and continues to achieve millions of streams for his recent music. Get familiar with him via this VIPER Presents interview…

What five words define your sound?

Informative, melodic, clear, rhythmic and dynamic.

Tell me something unique about your creative process

While creating music, I draw inspirations in my everyday life, personal experiences, my inner feelings, as well as those everyday win and losses. I let my emotions drive my creativity, it makes my music genuine and also relatable to everyone. A song like ‘Saro’ explains better.

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

Many amazing songs, but I will pick ‘AJE’.

What inspired you to make that song?

You know, music is a powerful tool to express emotions and memories. The song ‘AJE’ holds a special connection in my heart due to the circumstances surrounding my late friend’s death. I was at the club with him a few days before he died, we had not seen each other for years. We did not bother asking each other about life, and what had been happening in our personal lives. He died and I felt bad.

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

That’s a deep question! I think the most vulnerable I’ve allowed myself to be when making music is when I write lyrics about personal experiences or emotions that flows directly from my heart. It can be heavy to share those raw feelings with others, but it’s also incredibly freeing. Music has a way of helping us express things we might not be able to say otherwise.

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

The best experience I’ve had on stage was when I felt a strong connection with the audience while performing, and everything just clicked perfectly – the energy, the music, the reactions. It was like we were all in sync, and it was an unforgettable moment. As for the worst experience, I remember a time when I forgot the lyrics to a song I was performing. It was so embarrassing, but I had to lip sync and keep going.

What is your favourite song to perform?

This is hard to pick, If I am allowed I will pick all my songs, all my songs sound better while performing them live. But yeah, I will pick ‘THIS YEAR’.

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

Well, King Sunny Ade has always been a major inspiration to me but trust me, everyone doing good music inspires me, including Wyclef, Busy Signal, Micheal Bolton and many more people doing great music.

What’s the meaning behind your name?

 I coined it from my name, so from Juwon to ‘Jaywon’.

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

I am a big fan of soccer, I would have been a footballer. I also love creating content on social media platforms, like I’m in love with TikTok right now, so make sure you link me up @jaywon_juwonlo.

What’s success to you?

Success to me is when I look back at where I am coming from and where I am today, I feel proud of the work that paid off. When I see growth and improvement in my craft, when I can connect with others through my crafts and when Audience can relate to my sound. It’s also not just about external recognition, but also about personal fulfilment and making an impact in my own unique way.

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

There was a time when I faced a big setback in my music career when I left my former label Kennis Music. Because of the way the deal ended, it made me rethink my direction. It was a challenging moment, but it pushed me to reassess my goals, try new things, and grow as an artist. Sometimes those unexpected twists can lead us to exciting new paths we never considered before.

Where can people keep in touch with you?

You can keep in touch with me on Instagram at @jaywonjuwonlo, Facebook at @jaywonofficial, Twitter at @jaywonjuwonlo or TikTok at @jaywon_juwonlo. I often tweet, share updates, new music releases, and behind-the-scenes content there. It’s a great way to stay connected and see what’s happening in my life.