Nigerian Afropop artist Taves shares ‘Popstar SIDE A,’ an intimate eight-track EP on love, faith, and self-discovery in Lagos
Taves has spent years learning how to sound like himself. On “Popstar SIDE A,” the Nigerian singer finally settles into that voice, sharing an eight-track EP that reads less like a career move than a diary left open on the table. Released August 11, the project arrives at the close of what has been the most defining stretch of his career, and it carries the quiet assurance of someone who has stopped auditioning for the room.
The record moves through love, desire, faith and reflection without ever raising its voice. Opener “Chaos” sets the tone, layering choral, expansive instrumentals over a private tension, the pull between a relationship that wants his heart and a career that wants his focus. It is a familiar Lagos story, the young artist caught between ambition and intimacy, and Taves tells it with warmth rather than melodrama. The sound is polished but never sterile, sensual but never showy.
A Breakout Built On A Classic
The EP’s center of gravity is “Uche Jombo,” and its backstory matters. The track is a flip of Wizkid’s beloved “Don’t Dull,” and the Afrobeats icon is credited as an additional composer, a passing of the torch that doubles as a blessing. In Taves’s hands the song becomes a slow-building celebration of a woman who has colonized his thoughts, his wispy vocals drifting across a rich, unhurried groove. It became his most successful record to date across streaming and press, and it is easy to hear why. The song understands that desire is most convincing when it stays patient.
That single did not arrive from nowhere. Taves has been building steadily since 2019, moving fluidly between Afrobeats, R&B and alternative pop, and earning recognition from Apple Music, Billboard and The Headies for his 2024 project “Are You Listening?” Along the way he has shared space with established names including Show Dem Camp, BNXN, Ladipoe and L.A.X, absorbing lessons without losing his own softness. “Popstar SIDE A” continues that momentum, with production from Arieenati, Spax, OG Sterling and Samklef shaping its plush, emotive world.
The Honesty Underneath The Gloss
What separates “Popstar SIDE A” from a standard rollout is how willing Taves is to sit in discomfort. The bright groove of “Uche Jombo” and the bold strokes of “Preaching” eventually give way to “Take Me Away,” a raw closer about feeling stuck and aching for an exit. He does not resolve the tension so much as name it, and that refusal to tie a bow on things is exactly what makes the project feel true.
Speaking of the EP, Taves framed his hopes in modest, human terms. “Most of all I hope that people find something in there that they can connect with, that speaks to them,” he said, adding that he wants listeners to embrace imperfection and difference, “cause that’s the only way people will appreciate your contributions.” It is a fitting thesis for a record built on the idea that vulnerability and confidence are not opposites but partners.
“Popstar SIDE A” positions Taves among the most compelling voices in Nigeria’s new Afropop generation, a scene increasingly defined by artists who treat emotional honesty as a flex rather than a weakness. Fearless and tender in perfect turns, the EP is a genuine step into a fuller version of his artistry. If this is only side A, the flip is worth waiting for.
