There has scarcely been a comeback story as heartwarming and deserved as Crayon’s in afropop canon. First activated in 2018 as a part of Mavin Records’ new class of stars, the fresh-faced singer from Ojo, Lagos caught attention for his slick melodies and nimble flows that were a throwback to the classical epoch of afrobeats around the early 2000s. The world-resetting COVID-19 pandemic and the global shutdown of activities it necessitated threatened to disrupt Crayon’s rise but he has remained redoubtable and come back stunningly over the last two years with 2023 being a standout year for the joy-evoking singer.
2023 kicked off with “The One (Chop Life),” a collaboration with Yaba Buluku Boyz that served notice of Cray’s intention to soundtrack the year and rule the nightlife roster. Another song, “Modupe, was released before his long-awaited debut album, Trench To Triumph, arrived. A free-wheeling celebration of his journey from the paranoia of struggles to the precipice of global superstardom, the album spurned another breakaway hit “Ngozi” with label mate, Ayra Starr, which has shown the Crayon’s star has only just started to rise.
