FEATURES COLLABORATIONS WITH BEAM, MAJID JORDAN, TAMERA, TAY IWAR AND MORE
STREAM/BUY WHEN IT BLOOMS HERE
Today, globally acclaimed, Canada-based Nigerian singer, songwriter, and producer Nonso Amadi releases his debut record When It Blooms through Def Jam Recordings/Polydor Records/MCA/Universal Music Canada, the country’s leading music company. Amadi describes, “I want people to listen to this project and know who I am and what I’ve gone through. I want to make great songs that tell my story for you. When It Blooms embodies my creative and personal growth, reflecting on my journey up until this point. I feel this message is best represented in the growth from seeds to a flower, uncoiling naturally for you.” This 15-track album arrives as the first comprehensive body of work for Amadi, celebrating years of evolution through experience as both an artist and an individual.
The album sequence reflects Amadi’s journey and weaves through the different phases of his self-discovery through music. Setting the tone with the opening track “Here For It,” Amadi recalls the challenges and uncertainty faced early on in his music career but honors his own determination, singing ‘na so then the plan no get plan b.’ “NASA,” a track produced by Azulwynter and FrancisGotHeat, pays homage to the hip-hop artists that influenced Amadi’s initial affinity for music like 50 cent, Lil Wayne, Ja Rule and lyrically discusses leveling up the dream from one phase of life to the next. A standout track, “Kilimanjaro” features BEAM who has previously collaborated with the likes of Justin Bieber, Jorja Smith and Beyonce, Amadi notes, I knew I wanted a feature on this track to counterbalance my soft approach to the song with a faster paced flow and BEAM knocked it out of the park.” While “Night In Maryland” holds sentimental value for Amadi, capturing late nights recording in Lagos, Nigeria; the traffic, the lights and the internal struggle. Amadi highlights “Donisha Prendergast, granddaughter of Bob Marley, delivered an amazing speech at the end of the track encouraging me to believe in my purpose and get ready for the bloom.” Wrapping up with “Thankful,” an act of culminating gratitude to the community of supporters that along the path of discovery and bring this project to life, Amadi’s mother shares a message of pride for Amadi’s growth as a beautifully personal finale.
Additional collaborations on the record include Tay Iwar, Nigerian soul singer, songwriter and producer, on “Pieces,” a song written back in 2019, revived by the partnership. As well, “Shivers” features Tamera produced with Mont Jake, both UK based allies who elevated the track. Amadi shares, “This is my most collaborative project yet, I sought out help of other people to water it and add sunlight, the album is an expression of gratitude to the supporters and contributors of my sound.”
Outside of the album, this year Amadi hopped on multiple tracks from artists in his creative community including three-time historic JUNO Award winner Savannah Ré for a remix of her track “Closure,” he also joined Switzerland-based, Nigerian rapper and producer Pronto on the track “Danger” with German group, 255. Most recently, Amadi teamed up with producer duo Emotional Oranges for their latest track “Not Worthy.” Collaborations are essential not only to fueling Amadi’s creativity but are also instrumental in continuing to spread the Afrobeats genre globally.
When It Blooms also features five previously released singles including the song that marked the epic return after a hiatus, “Foreigner,” as well as the collaborative track “Different” ft. Majid Jordan, an alliance which has garnered over 19 million global streams, “Eye To Eye” which picked up praise from UPROXX, MTV, COMPLEX, the patriotic single “Ease Up,” plus the latest collaboration “Lock Up” ft. Zinoleesky which appeared on international playlists with cover placements. Those five tracks alone have collectively garnered over 50 million streams.
The release of When It Blooms marks the culmination of affirming successes since Amadi’s return in 2022; between being featured as Spotify’s Radar Artist, making the top of the list for Audiomack Africa x The Beat’s “Alte Vibes” playlist, and surpassing over 1 million monthly listeners on Spotify. The SOCAN Foundation announced Nonso Amadi as one of the winners of the SiriusXM Black Canadian Music Awards alongside Adria Kain, AHI, Desarae Dee and Zach Zoya. With the album, Amadi cements himself in the vanguard of the next generation artists bringing Alte and Afro-R&B to the international stage.
Nonso Amadi capped off last year with the announcement that he had been selected to be a part of the ‘VEVO DSCVR Artists to Watch 2023’ list alongside emerging superstars poised to make an impact including Armani White, Ice Spice, GloRilla and many more. Amadi is the first domestically signed UMC artist to be selected for this prestigious program. Watch the VEVO DSCVR performance video for “Ease Up” here and “Foreigner” here.
Fans will have an opportunity to hear When It Blooms live this summer as Nonso Amadi joins summer festivals like Mural Festival in Montreal June 10 alongside Koffee, Dinos and Ferg and FRESH UP R&B Festival which includes a line-up of Loony, Adria Kain, Haviah Mighty, Zach Zoya and more. Shows will continue to be announced soon with opportunities to see Amadi live around the world.
WHEN IT BLOOMS TRACKLISTING
- Here For It (Intro)
- NASA
- Lock Up ft. Zinoleesky
- Kilimanjaro ft. BEAM
- Eye To Eye
- Foreigner
- How Love Works (Interlude)
- Night In Maryland
- Pieces ft. Tay Iwar
- Shivers ft. Tamera
- Paper
- Different ft. Majid Jordan
- Ease Up
- Cali Was The Mission
- Thankful
ABOUT NONSO AMADI
Beginning his musical career while studying in Nigeria at Covenant University and then Swansea University in the UK. Nonso Amadi transformed into a sonic-globetrotter after his move to Canada – leading him to fuse the soul & rhythm of African music with modern soft textures of R&B. With an affinity for contemporary R&B, Nonso developed a desire to explore North America and Africa in equal parts – citing Toronto-native Drake’s genre-hopping capability as an inspiration for his own creative fluidity. Amadi’s music is powered by borderless infusions and intention. “I really loved Mary J Blige, Brandy, Wyclef Jean, Paul Play. I love R&B because it’s slow enough to allow you to feel,” he says of his early experiences with the artform.
Amadi’s refreshingly honest yet tranquil approach to music has allowed the likes of Juls, Santi, and Odunsi The Engine — the latter of whom he collaborated with on the War EP’ — to entrench his arrival across Nigeria and the continent at large across the late ’10’s. With over 100,000+ million streams across platforms, Nonso Amadi refuses to be the typical straight A-student stereotype. Instead, he stands tall as a constantly evolving, textured lyricist able to translate Alte, Afro-fusion and hip-hop into his R&B-canvassed approach to storytelling, best represented on his last EP Free (2019), which features Afrobeat’s heavyweights Simi and Mr Eazi.
In 2019, Amadi made the conscious decision to step away from social media and paused the release of music — all to take a deeper dive into his artistry and separate from noise and distraction. Unaware of the global pandemic looming, Amadi’s time to cleanse and create was stretched into a longer hiatus. Since his return to music last year, Amadi has released a streak of pivotal singles that have all been building towards his debut record, When It Blooms, a symbol of a fully realized creative aptitude. Now backed by a network of international label partners comprised of Def Jam Recordings stateside, Polydor Records in the UK, MCA in France with Universal Music Canada (UMC) leading the charge, offering the opportunity to strategically focus on a range of global markets, including his native region in Nigeria. Nonso Amadi is proudly represented by his management team; Jade Busola and Quiet As Kept (Trung Hoang, Gavin Sheppard).