Up and coming new school Afrobeats artist Llona shares a passionate and emotional journey through war with ‘Homeless’, a testament to real life experiences and emotions while living part of his life on the move.
Born Michael Ajuma Attah, the “sonic healer”, hailing from Kogi State in North-Eastern Nigeria, has become popular for his unique and distinct warm sound. Llona started his career as a punchy emcee, hustling to perform at local venues, a time during which he went viral on social media for his freestyle rap. Since then, he has grown tremendously into the melodic vocalist we know today.
Llona has been active the past few months, with some of his best performing songs being a product of the album. So far, HBP Remix with Bella Shmurda has garnered almost 3 million streams on Spotify, while ‘Another Day’ has garnered 2.2 million, ‘Comforter’ with 1.6 million, and ‘Cold War’ following closely with 1 million streams. These numbers are testament to the hard work and dedication Llona has put into sharpening his craft.
‘Homeless’ is an exploration of the emotional turmoil he experienced while being forced to live a nomadic lifestyle when he was younger, during the time his mother was a traveler, and his stepfather was a police inspector on the run from Boko Haram. He recalls how difficult it was to form relationships and keep friends, because every time he started to form a bond, it was always time to move.
“For years, I lived life on the road. For years, I lived life without community. For years, I dreamt about a life better than the one I had. All those years, all those emotions, this is the story.”
In the weeks leading up to the release of the album, Llona released videos for some of the songs like ‘Another Day’ and ‘Cold War’, which have since been doing rounds and amassing huge numbers. The twelve-track album features other Nigerian favorites like Wizard Chan, Bella Shmurda, and Fave, artists he admits are close to him and he considers friends.
We are happy to see more young talents taking their place in the industry, and cannot wait to see what more Llona has up his sleeve. Have you listened to the album yet? Let us know what you think
