BNXN sets the bar high in his new EP Bad Since ’97

BNXN started singing and songwriting as a young child, but he was instantly inspired by the possibilities of pursuing a career as an artist, when he discovered SoundCloud whilst working an office role. 

He went on to release two singles, Catch A Vibe, and Wahala In 2018. In 2019, he released his single “Spiritual” with Zlatan and has been on a hot streak ever since. 

After closing out 2021 with sold-out shows in the UK, BNXN hit the ground running in 2022 supporting Koffee on her tour in the US and Canada. As if that wasn’t enough, Finesse was spotted on Obama’s 2022 Summer playlist. 

Adding to what has been an eventful year for BNXN, he drops his new EP Bad Since ‘97, removing any doubt that this Afro-fusion artist is the king of melodies and hooks. 

BNXN came out the gate strong with the title track Bad Since ‘97. If there was any doubt before, this has been dispelled as BNXN establishes himself as the standard in this creative avenue. “I always had great expectations of myself,” beaming ear to ear BNXN tells GUAP.  “I am very passionate about this” he goes on to describe the drive behind his success as an artist. 

BNXN’s experience of unrequited love was brought to life in his COLOURS performance of In My Mind. In this track, he sings about a woman that was drawn to him because of his fame. When speaking of his dating life following this relationship, BNXN says “It’s hard. I don’t know if it’s good but I’m a bit more reserved now.” He plans to navigate his dating life carefully in his search for a genuine relationship.

“It was an intense experience for me,” BNXN says as he speaks about his songwriting process. This multidimensional project was studiously crafted so that fans can immerse themselves in his experiences.

For BNXN, London was his first international trip outside of Nigeria, which he credits to his music career. “The UK has so much culture, you can lose yourself.” He says. He worked with producer TSB to create the nostalgic track Bad Man Wicked, an ode to his London experience. 

The track doesn’t have a credited feature but you may hear the voice of pioneering Afroswing artist J Hus. Now, I couldn’t walk away from the interview without asking if J Hus was involved in the making of Bad Man Wicked. BNXN laughs at me and says “How did you know? I tried my best to sound like him!”

This duo is clearly a great match, and if we can get a song from these two that sounds as good as Bad Man Wicked, we may be in for another treat. I’m keeping my fingers crossed and tightly locked!

Early this year, BNXN changed his stage name from Buju TYE to BNXN and you will often see that he is credited as BNXN (fka Buju). Despite the doubtful whispers about the potential damage to his brand, he tells GUAP “It has been a blessing for me”. 

“Did you know, since I changed my name, I had two charting songs in the UK.” BNXN says as he shares how the change was the best decision for his career.  “It means chubby” he goes on to explain how the name Buju is commonly used in Nigeria. For BNXN, standing out and being recognized for his work are important. As an avid drawer, he decided to creatively abbreviate his surname to BNXN so as to define his career.

There is no doubt that BNXN displays a high level of professionalism and creativity. This specially curated EP will make the 2022 Summer Afrobeats catalogue memorable so make sure to check it out below.

Listen to the project here

Written by Bethel Haimanot