Rising star Minz has released his highly anticipated debut album, By Any Minz. Following the success of viral hits like “Wap” featuring Davido and “Diallo” with Tekno, the album showcases Minz’s transformative journey from underground talent to a leading figure in the music scene. Known for his relentless drive, Minz collaborates with notable producers such as BGRZ and Grammy-nominated Rugged, infusing his sound with a distinct pan-African essence inspired by legends like Fela Anikulapo Kuti. With a diverse tracklist that explores themes of love, heartbreak, and resilience, By Any Minz not only highlights Minz’s artistry but also cements his place as one of Africa’s most exciting new voices in global music.

Congratulations on the release of By Any Minz! The album title suggests a deep sense of determination and purpose. What inspired the name, and how does it reflect your artistic journey so far?

Thank you so much. I’m just happy that the album is out now and by any minz like the name suggests just shows how bad I want it, how determined I am to smash my goals and reach that level that I truly deserve as an artist, you know, as a dope creative, making some of the best music coming out of Africa. And it’s really a summary of my journey so far, how I have had to grind and damn all the consequences and just face my goals wholeheartedly. By Any Minz is the story of Minz so far as an artiste and the testament to how far i really want to take it.

You’ve collaborated with notable artists like Davido, Tekno, and Blaqbonez on this album. Can you share what those creative collaborations were like and how they influenced the overall sound of the project?

First of all, I’m glad that I got the opportunity to work with some of the most amazing creatives and artists out of Nigeria, you know? Legends like Davido and Techno, and my brothers BlaqBonez, Bnxn, Projexx, Yo Train, Zino. It’s really been an amazing experience putting together this body of work. Working with these guys showed me that I’m actually very fluid with my music and I can bring another person into my world, I can enter their world. It was just beautiful, because collaboration is one of the best things that can happen in the space of music.

When two dope artists come together to create something that lasts. Music is beautiful because we create music basically out of our feelings and our emotions, so when you’re able to properly cross over, you know two people just bringing their stuff together, they’re merging their vibes together. Two or three people, it’s amazing. And I had synergy with all the guys I did collabs with. It’s really, really amazing. I’m glad it’s out for everyone to enjoy.

The production on By Any Minz is diverse, with contributions from top producers such as BGRZ, Rugged, and Ozedikus. How did working with this team shape the album’s sonic direction, and what was the most memorable part of the recording process?

Working with these producers was really special. it was a unique experience each time with each person. Mike BGRZ who brought like a large portion of the universe of the album, all credit due to him. He has his own very unique and classic sonics. The R&B influence that we hear on Wowo, the the chords etc. His music is very very different so I’m grateful to have connected with him. And ever since we started working as far back as 2019, we just knew that we just had to keep going and by God’s grace, he was really able to bring a lot of that energy that I needed on my project to me. He understands my sound, I understand his vibe and yeah he made magic.

With guys like Rugged. It’s just like you meet someone and you guys start making amazing music. that’s how it was with Rugged. With 255, my German brothers, who I like to call “Slim shady” lol because they are white boys making Afrobeats. it’s just also the synergy. Anytime I’m in the studio with them, we make like four, five, six records, sometimes. Some of the songs I made with them, I made literally on my way to the airport as I was about to catch a flight. The energy was amazing. I can’t forget the energy when I was making ‘Shadow’ with 255 in Berlin, that went crazy. I just had amazing moments.  

I really loved when I made ‘Do’ with Blaqbonez. Trilo sent me the beat, I was in Rwanda, and as soon as I heard the beat, I started vibing to it. And I remember my friend Looky, he really gingered me to finish the song. And then we finished the record, and we just knew that we had something special and then we got Blaqbonez on it, and the rest is history.

“Low” introduces what you call the “new sound of Lagos.” Can you tell us more about this new sound, and how it’s evolving the afrobeats genre?

So for me ‘Low’ is a really special record. It’s a song that I love so much. Ehm, it’s the new sound of Lagos cause it really sounds like a young Lagos boy, who’s in love And the way I flow on the song just reminds me of a Lagos young guy, you know, a hustler on the street, just communicating in his own language of love like a trenches type of love, something like that.

So, yeah, I think that’s why I think of it as the new sound of Lagos. It’s the expression of jiginess, you know? Lagos boys, we are cool, we are fly, and we have steeze lol. I feel like that was very very represented on that song. And shout out to Ozedikus for sending me that beat cause we made magic there.

The album’s closing track, “Mo De Ma (By Any Minz),” feels triumphant and defiant. What message were you hoping to convey to your listeners with this song?

“Mo De Ma” is really like an embodiment of how bad I want it for real, when you listen to that song, you feel like someone put a battery in your back and told you to keep going, cause thats the essence of the song and the meaning of the title is “And I will”, By any means I’m gonna reach my goals and when I get there, it’s gonna be an amazing time. It’s like when you’ve been working on something for so long and you’ve been wanting it, and then you finally get there.

It’s also saying that, yes, I’m gonna get there, but I’m not even gonna be complacent, I’m not gonna be on a normal level that you expect me to be. I’m gonna play at the top level, I’m gonna be on top of my game. “Mo De Ma” is really, really special record, and that’s why I had to drop it last before the album came out because it’s one of the most “By Any Minz” songs and it was one of the ways I wanted people to get into that energy of “By Any Minz”.

“Wo Wo” has already gained considerable attention, and the remix features artists like BNXN and Blaqbonez. What do you think made this track resonate so strongly with your audience, and how does the remix elevate the original?

‘Wowo’ is a special record because that is like one of the simplest ways to express something that is so basic but it’s true Like, life can be sweet and life can be ugly at the same time, you know? And I feel like it really resonated with a lot of people because life is really bitter sweet. Some people have experienced the sweet and the bitter, some people have experienced only the bitter, some people have experienced only the sweet.

But we can all admit that life has the potential to take any turn at any point in time Like, nobody knows tomorrow. And I’m glad that that message came from me. Sometimes it’s beyond us as the artist, it’s like a revelation, sometimes from God. And I’m happy that I was able to put that message out there, even though, it took me a lot to put that out there because I was going through some things myself that made that message come through me. I was experiencing a lot and I was on the brink of depression Like, going crazy. But yeah, that record came and really, really saved the day, I can’t lie lol. 

And the remix with Buju Bnxn and BlaqBonez, it was just the icing on the cake, It elevated the track so much. These two guys are some of the biggest superstars in the scene right now. And for them to share their light on me as well, it’s amazing. People know I’ve been doing this for years, but sometimes you need that little cosign so that it can take you to, like, the next level and for them to share their light and share their success with me, it was really amazing. And it put the song in the right ears, right position for people to discover it. And gave it the flowers that it needed.

You’ve been described as “your favorite artist’s favorite artist” in the Nigerian music scene. How does that recognition feel, and what responsibility do you feel, if any, in representing the next wave of African music globally?

Hmm that is such a flattering title (laughs) and it’s something that is well deserved because I know with all the years that I’ve been in the game and everything, I’ve seen so many points in time where people either pay homage to something that maybe I influenced, or just steal ideas from me. But like at the end of the day, the greatest flattery is copying. But it’s a honor and I don’t take it for granted. 

And as regards my responsibility to inspiring the next generation, I don’t play with that as well because I know that I want to be a light, a beacon of hope to others for people to look up to what I’ve been able to do and how I’ve been able to go on my path. I want them to aim for that resilience, that stubborn spirit and know that they can get to their goals by any means without having to settle or do the same as every other person, So I feel like that’s my responsibility to the next generation, to show them that you can do it, your dreams are valid and you can really elevate and you can get there by any means.

On By Any Minz, we hear everything from highlife to EDM elements. How intentional were you about experimenting with different sounds, and what’s your approach to genre-blending?

So for me the way I make music is so dynamic and I don’t restrict myself, I don’t put myself in a box and most people don’t even know that, but I’m glad they got to find out with this album. So I really do different genres of music. And when we were putting together the album, we listened to a lot of the music that I created during the process of making this album. And we could tell that there are four main vibes in the album.

There is the afro-chill, there is afro R&B, there is the afro-pop, which is like the dancing stuff & afro-Adura well. we divided it into four, with the aim to give people different experiences on this project. So we decided that we were gonna channel these energies on this project and really focus these songs, Like, basically give you a feel of everything that I have the capacity to do, and even more. That was how that whole energy came together. It was very intentional and ‘m glad that people are understanding it and seeing, and the impact is gonna be long lasting.

With this debut album now complete, what’s next for Minz? Can we expect any upcoming tours, visuals, or new collaborations to support By Any Minz on the horizon?

Yes, for sure there’s gonna be a ‘By Any Minz’ tour very very soon. I can’t wait to announce the details of that, but that’s something that we are actively working on. 

I’ve been dropping visuals for songs on the project, and almost every song on the project has visuals. We are very very active and more music is coming very soon. This is not the end of it. By Any Minz is literally just the stepping stone to bigger things, more and more things to come. Can’t wait for the world to hear and see all the amazing things that we have been working on.