Obongjayar

Steven Umoh, known by his stage name Obongjayar, is a Nigerian musical artist based in London, United Kingdom. Born in Calabar, Nigeria, on October 16, 1992, he sang primarily in an American accent, influenced by a childhood spent listening to American hip hop music, but he transitioned to singing in his natural Nigerian-British accent before embarking on his professional career. Obongjayar started his career publishing his music online and caught the notice of XL Recordings executive Richard Russell, who then asked Obongjayar to contribute to his Everything Is Recorded project. In 2016, Obongjayar released his first EP, Home, followed by Bassey the following year, which was noted for its sparse production and afrobeat rhythms. He also contributed to Richard Russell's 2017 EP, Close But Not Quite. In collaboration with afrobeat producer Sarz, Obongjayar released a third EP, Sweetness, in 2021, gaining a considerable following after featuring on rapper Little Simz's studio album Sometimes I Might Be Introvert, in the same year. Shortly after, Obongjayar released the song and music video "Message in a Hammer," the lead single for his debut album Some Nights I Dream of Doors which was released to the delight of his fans in May 2022. In 2023, he released with Fred Again the single "Adore U," which charted across Europe, most notably in Austria, coming in at number 172. He followed with singles "Just My Luck", "Not in Surrender", and "Sweet Danger", ahead of the sophomore disco-oriented album Paradise  Now (2025).