Tim Lyre’s music is restorative. It captivates listeners, adapts to their situations, and leaves everyone feeling uplifted post-listen. “My main goal with my music is for people to feel better when they listen to me,” he shares. ”I’m trying to make feel-good music literally, music you can play in any circumstance.”
Tim Lyre, born Timothy Oyesanya, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, and producer. He has gained popularity within the Nigerian alternative/alté music scene, and is recognized as a prominent figure from the local SoundCloud era alongside artists like Cruel Santino, Odunsi, Lady Donli, and Prettyboy D-O. Tim was also a member of the Chop Life Crew collective, which includes Mojo AF, Ronehi, and others. He is signed to UK/South African-based label Outer South and has released three LPs under this label, including his latest, SPIRAL, which dropped about a month ago.
SPIRAL is Lyre’s longest and most extensive project to date. It is a double album featuring a tracklist that is almost twice as long as those of his last two releases. Additionally, it includes as many guest appearances as his previous two projects combined — Tim Lyre is an ardent collaborator. The album features contributions from artists such as Moelogo, DAP The Contract, Mojo AF, Show Dem Camp, BOJ, Joshua Baraka, and many other talented musicians from the US, UK, and Africa.
The album is divided into two halves: a darker, introspective first half and a lighter second half. However, the therapeutic intent in Tim’s music remains consistent throughout both parts, as the singer explores complex themes of love, ambition, anxiety, and heartbreak.
While his message is one, his medium is diverse. The artist is renowned for masterfully threading across genres, and on this album, he takes from local flavours like Afro-Pop & Highlife, as well as global sounds like rock and rap. Notably, his choice of style is dependent on the intent of each song and the album’s overall theme. “I feel that’s the most important thing — the intention and the message,” he explains. Knowing what his voice can do, he utilises his tool as the situation demands. “I know I can rap, but I don’t feel like a rapper necessarily. However, there are songs where that’s what is needed and the only thing that makes sense for me to do then. I tend to always follow my gut in situations like that.”
The soundscape of Tim’s latest album, SPIRAL, is inextricably linked to its central message. True to its title, the album is a diverse collection of sounds that reflect Tim’s varied influences and consumption. “I tried to be eclectic with the genres to make it (the album) feel like a spiral,” he explains, comparing the variety of musical styles to the different dimensions of life. Speaking on the inspiration for the album’s title, he shared, “I called the album SPIRAL because sometimes, in life, it feels like you’re spiralling out of control.” Ultimately, he encourages listeners to “believe in your journey and evolution, especially when it feels like things are unravelling around you. Try to find your centre amidst the chaos. That’s really the message behind the album.”
WeTalkSound had the opportunity to catch up with this musical prodigy to discuss his music, community, and the new album.
Hi. What’s up, bro? Good afternoon. How’s your day been?
Good. Good. I’m in the studio actually. I was just working on a couple of things, nothing that serious.
Before we kick off properly, I’ve been really curious about the inspiration for your stage name. The ‘lyre’ is a reference to the bird, yeah?
Yeah. It’s a reference to the bird. There’s a bird called a lyre that can mimic any sound in nature. But also, one of the oldest instruments in the world is the lyre. So, there’s that too.
Wow. Thanks for sharing and congratulations on your new album, Spiral. The album is your lengthiest yet and a bolder presentation of your art. Can you help me understand what informed the concept and presentation of this album?
So, basically, since the release of the previous project, I’d already been recording a lot of music. I knew I wanted this project to be bigger than the music but also more expansive, in terms of the number of songs and the subject matter as well. I knew I just needed to take time to figure out what I wanted it to sound like. It was halfway into the recording process that I decided to do the double-sided album concept. But that decision was sort of informed by a few things. Growing up, I listened to a lot of those double albums. Even today, some of my favourite albums are double albums like Stevie Wonder’s Songs In The Key of Life and, in more recent times, Kendrick Lamar’s Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers.
I figured if I wanted to present a lengthy project, I still wanted to find a way to keep it interesting and cohesive at the same time. At that point, it just became a thing of balance, figuring out which songs work with each other and which should go on Side A or Side B. That’s kind of how I approached it, and the result is what we’re listening to.
Interesting. I love the way the album is structured. From what I understand, one part of the album is darker and serious, while the other part is much lighter.
Yeah, essentially. The first half of the album is a bit more in-depth and introspective, touching on a bit more serious topics. There are one or two uplifting moments in there, but it’s not as lighthearted as the second half in terms of the themes.
I think one of the things that stood out to me, especially on the first part of the album, was the love stories and the way they were presented. I could relate to ‘Storytime’ personally. Are these songs a reflection of something in your personal life or just inspired by things you’ve heard and wanted to put down in your music?
The majority of my music is definitely inspired by my own personal life. I had some experiences that I felt like I needed to channel and creatively find an outlet. And so, some of these songs, like “Storytime,” Glory Bound,” and “Find You”, on the second side, fall in that category. Like you said, there are a lot of songs about love, but they are not conventional love songs. They are like sad love songs.
Yeah. You’re diving deep into what a relationship actually looks like.
Exactly. Diving into the genuineness of everything. That’s what I’m trying to do.
Yeah. Pretty much. There’s a lot of collaborations on this album, and that could also be as a result of the length. What was the direction for picking the artists you wanted to work with for this album?
For a lot of these songs, I had ideas in my head about who would fit on what record as I recorded them. So, it was just a function of reaching out and making sure it gets to the right people. Some of these artists are people I’ve worked with in the past and have a good working relationship with, like Mojo, Show Dem Camp, and Dap The Contract. There are also people I met through other artists or through social media, and artists that I’ve spoken to about working together at different points, but it’s never just been the right time until this project. A good example of that is BINA, who is on “Storytime”. She’s someone I connected with on Instagram years ago, but we never actually found the opportunity to work together until now. So, sometimes it happens like that.
There’s also a couple of others on there that I was able to connect with, thanks to my label. It’s a team effort, so sometimes we’re also thinking together about who might work well with whatever song. ’Better4u’ with Manana, a South African artist, is an example of that. My label is partly based in SA, so it was easier to make the connection for me. But yeah, it depends on the situation. It’s a mix of different things, but I try to always make sure it’s the right person for the song more than anything else.
There are a lot of genres on this album. It’s impossible to box into one sound. ‘Way2me’ sounds like a rock ballad. There’s some rap/hip hop there. How do you decide what style to go for each song? Is it based on what feels like the best soundscape to express the message?
Yeah, it’s definitely that. There’s that part because at the end of the day, I feel that’s the most important thing – the intention and the message.
I also know what my voice is capable of. So I always want to try and use it to the fullest extent. I know I have the ability to rap, but I don’t necessarily feel like a rapper, so I wouldn’t be rapping all the time. But there are songs where that’s what is needed and the only thing that makes sense for me to do at that point in time. I tend to always follow my gut in situations like that.
But again, I also try not to go too over the top with it because it could come across as being all over the place. So, balance is important, and there’s a method to my mess, kinda. It can sound like a bunch of different genres of music, but I try to make sure my voice is consistent throughout. So you can tell it’s the same person and the same stories just in different ways. If I can maintain that consistency throughout the album, that’s success.
Yeah 100%. If you were to pick one genre that feels like home to you, what would it be?
Honestly, it’ll probably be Afrobeats or R&B. I grew up on songs from Mo’Hits record and 2baba, down to the current superstars like Wizkid and Davido. So yeah, I think that’s the most familiar genre of music for me. R&B is just like, I think, probably my favourite genre of music outside of that familiar sound.
If you were to introduce someone to your music – a Tim Lyre essentials, what five songs would be on there?
“Hubris,” for sure. “Chasing Wind.” I’ve got to put “Present” on there for sure as well. I’d take a couple of songs from the new album, so “Pot of Gold” and “Lock In”
Good that you mentioned “Pot of Gold”. That’s one of my favourites off the album. First of all, what does “Osumare” mean, and what were you trying to say with that song?
Growing up, I always used to hear this proverb that there’s a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. So, “Osumare” is Yoruba for rainbow. I only know that word as Omo Agba (son of an elder). Sometimes, dem go go drop us for Grandma side for the holidays and stuff, and there was a lot of Yoruba speaking. That’s the only reason I know that word, but I don’t know how it came to my head at that point in time, as I dey hear that beat. That proverb was playing in my head at that time, and I felt like I wanted to make a song out of that feeling, that there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Thank you for sharing. I just used to sing along but I didn’t understand that bit. It’s my jam for real and Joshua Baraka delivered impressively as well.
Yeah he really surprised me in the session as well. I didn’t know what to expect from it because, in terms of scale, he’s a lot bigger than me as an artist. I’ve never worked with any artists from Uganda before, so I didn’t really know what to expect. But he was very nice and down-to-earth. He’s very musical as well. He had many ideas on ways to improve the song, actually.
What’s your musical relationship like with Mojo? You both were in the Chop Life Crew collective together. What is the chemistry like?
With Mojo, that’s someone I’ve known for over half of my life now. We’ve been friends since school days, he and Ronehi, a producer I work closely with. We’ve all been friends for a very long time, and we all started making music around the same time. So, he’s probably the easiest for me to collaborate with at any given point in time.
I feel like you are an artist who thrives on community. You have an active community of artists around you. For emerging artistes, how would you advise them to find and build their own community of artistes?
You just need to be open-minded. I believe so much in collaborating with other artists, especially if you feel like your sounds or vision might align in terms of what you’re trying to do musically. It can never be a disadvantage for you to collaborate with such an artist. If you are open to it in the first place, a lot of these things just kind of happen naturally.
It’s also about you putting yourself out there and trying to network and connect with the right people. You also need to be consistent with your output. I’ll use Show Dem Camp as an example of this. The first contact I had with anybody from there was Tec, just after I released a project called Senpai. He reached out to me and was like, he likes my sound and he’s a huge fan. From there, I got into the studio with them and we made our first song together, ‘Feel Something.’ Since then, we’ve had more sessions together, and we now have a working relationship.
That’s just a function of me putting myself out there and being consistent. People notice these things. More often than not, there’s more people aware of what you’re doing than you realize. It’s just about you keeping your head down and maintaining that momentum
What are you most proud of about this new album?
I’m extremely proud of this album, and I’m so happy it came out the way it did. It’s the most expansive thing I’ve tried to do so it took a lot of focus, brain power and patience. In the end, we definitely got there and the reception and feedback I’ve been getting from people below have been very encouraging as well. So, I’m just happy it’s out there now.
What do you want listeners to take away from this album? What do you want them to think of your artistry and message and how do you want them to feel after listening to this album?
I called the album “Spiral” because, sometimes, in life, it can feel like you’re spiraling out of control. I think that’s one reason why I was trying to be eclectic with the genres because I wanted it to feel like a spiral in that way.
At the end of the day, if you feel like things are unraveling around you, you need to believe in your journey and evolution. Just try to find your own center even amidst the chaos that might be happening around you. That’s really the message behind the album. As always, my main goal with my music is for people to just feel better when they listen to me. I’m trying to make feel-good music literally, music you can play in any circumstance. “Soundtracking Your Life” is what I like to call it. So, if you can listen to, not just this album, but any of my music and feel better about any little thing then the mission is accomplished.
What statement are you trying to make with this album in the context of the local and global music industry and within the current soundscape?
I hope and I believe it can definitely be a stand-out album, not just in terms of content but also the way it was put together and presented. I hope it can serve as a reference for artists in the future who want to try different things in their music and not conform.
You mentioned that you’re trying to make people feel better with your music. And we’ve seen some of your works follow that pattern, from “pot of gold” on this album to ‘Chasing Wind’ on the previous one to even the title of your debut album, ‘Worry Less’. Is it safe to say your message is basically a message of uplifting and positivity
Yeah. 100%. That’s what music has always done for me personally. Anytime I’m feeling down, or having negative emotions, I’ve always found it easy to find comfort in music, some type of way, whether it’s listening to music, or making music. I want to be able to do the same thing for people.
That’s very generous.
(Laughs) It’s also for myself, because I listen to these songs, as well.
We’ve seen you on rap, r&b and even rock. I’m curious about what local genres you’ve been exploring or looking to explore.
I really like juju music. King Sunny Ade and that type of music, I’m a big fan of that. If I can find a way to incorporate it somehow, I’m definitely going to. I’ve tried a couple things in the past that I’m not just ready to share.
So, just that type of ‘Yoruba’ music, that’s the best way I can describe it. Alujo and stuff. It just hits a different kind of pocket. I think that’s probably the thing I want to try the most.
I know you’ve just dropped a beautiful album and it’s the most expansive project you’ve released yet. But what new challenges are you looking to take on in your career?
Additionally, can we expect any tours or live performances off the back of this album
I think those two questions kinda go hand in hand because that (performing live) is my next challenge or goal because I really want to start performing my music more. I’m making a conscious effort to do as many live shows as I possibly can. I haven’t set up anything in Lagos for this year yet but we’re trying to do a few things.
I’m trying to tour as well. If that can work out, that will be a major goal accomplished
In closing, what does success look like for you?
I want to spread my music as far and wide as I possibly can, not just here at home in Nigeria but beyond the borders of this country. I’d love to go all over the world, performing and making music with all kinds of artists. Music is so vast and never-ending so I can always be better.
It is genuinely a blessing for me to be able to do this. It’s an actual gift to be able to create something out of nothing. So yeah, I’m excited for the future.
