Omah Lay needed to crash out to reach clarity

Four years ago, Omah Lay birthed the sound of “Afro-depression.” A sonic mood tied to a heavy and honest melancholy, it colored his breakout 2022 debut album, Boy Alone. Its songs about feeling misunderstood, navigating temptations, and the friction of figuring out how to love quickly amassed him celebrity enthusiasts: Justin Bieber hopped on “Attention;” 6lack slid onto his “Damn” remix; and Ozuna linked up for “soso.” At 24-years-old, Lay became one of Lagos’ finest, handling Afrobeats with care while pushing it into the mainstream.

But then things seemed to spiral out of control. Throughout 2022, and into 2025, he began posting worrying updates on X, Snapchat, and Instagram about his worsening depression and “losing his mind.” A viral clip of him dancing with a female audience member from one of his shows in 2024 briefly turned him into a minor villain on the internet. His crash out seemed to reach a peak in 2024 when he went public with accusations of another Afrobeats musician — largely speculated by fans to be Rema — “stealing” the “concept” and “sound” of his upcoming album, forcing him to scrap the entire project and start again from scratch.

Today, though, a bright-eyed and freshly buzzed Lay (who’s also a “little high”) recounts the story as a badge of honor — and evidence of his own genius. “I can imagine what it would have been like if it was an artist who is not powerful enough and crazy enough to move past that,” he says.

The way Lay moved past that is with the release of Clarity of Mind, his new album released on April 3. Speaking to him a week before its arrival, it’s clear that the old Lay is no longer. The purple aura that once radiated from his music has been swapped for a euphoric yellow. The change, he says, was prompted by a half decade of soul searching where he religiously read the Quran and the Bible, practiced yoga, and indulged in the kaleidoscopic fractals of LSD and mushrooms. But at the end of all that exploring, Lay realized he had no need for the extras. “I am okay the way I am,” he said.

Below, we spoke to Lay about finding himself, his album "stolen," linking up with Davido on the Grammy-nominated “With You,” and finally reaching clarity.

The FADER: It’s been four years since Boy Alone. What have you been up to?

Omah Lay: I realized that I have everything I’m looking for. All this search and all this stress of trying to understand myself? I realized it was really not necessary. I mean, it was necessary, but the end goal I got from all that soul-searching was realizing that I’m very much okay the way I am. I’m just the way I am.

And I would love people to understand that too — that they are just perfect the way they are. They don't need to go through hell trying to fix themselves to fit in. This is what I’ve been spending most of my time doing: just diving deep into myself.

How did you dive into yourself?

Yoga, meditation, and reading all the spiritual books in the world — the Quran, the Bible, everything. Basically, everything. I was trying different plants, LSD, mushrooms... literally everything.

When did you discover you already had everything you needed?

Well, I learned that when you spend a lot of time around people who don’t know who you are, or people who act like you’re not who you are, you tend to forget yourself. You have to find your space. Surround yourself with people that align with your vision. It’s a lot more relaxing and comfortable; you actually feel like yourself.

I come from a place where the way I think is really different from how everyone else thinks. For some reason, I don’t see myself as just a "Nigeria boy" who should just stay in Lagos. I see myself with the whole world. My competition is the whole world. I used to have people around me who wanted me to just do it like everybody else because it’s easy. I’m a king in Lagos, I’m the GOAT in Lagos — but that never felt like the dream. That never felt like me. I’d rather travel the whole world.

How is the Omah Lay from Boy Alone different from the Omah Lay of today?

Can you really see the difference? The Omah then would never dare to [cut his hair]. The Omah then had an image to protect. He had to look good, he had to brand himself and "be that." Now, I really don’t give a sh*t about anything. I only care about what I care about now. I live my life exactly how I want to live it, and that is coming from a place of peace. It’s coming from a place of clarity.

I want to talk about that clarity on the album. There’s one song, “Julia,” that sounds almost rock. Tell me about creating that sound.

Me? I’m a genius. Those are the things I felt uncomfortable accepting for the longest time. “Julia” is an old sound. Remember when I came out and said somebody stole the idea for my album? That was around the time I made "Julia." The whole album was almost going that way. I felt like it was time to experiment.

My hands are inside almost every production on this album because I’m also a producer. I don’t always take the credit because I wanted to leave production to the people around me, but my hands are all over this. I get bored easily. I want to move quickly. Even now, before Clarity of Mind has even dropped, I’m in a different headspace already. I’m listening to something new right now.

How did you deal with your previous album concept being stolen? Did it set you back?

I move on too quickly. It was already a year or two after it happened by the time I shared that story. It was hurtful for a minute, but I hate talking about it because it’s so childish. So dumb.

But stuff like that can put people in a bad mental state where they are unable to “come back alive.” You spend so much time figuring out a new sound, you share it with a friend for a collaboration, and they twist it in such a genius way that you can’t even go back and say, “Yo, this is my sh*t.” I blamed myself for a long time for being so lovely, for being “sweet” enough to want to share. But ultimately, I grew above that. It leads me to the song on the album titled "I Am."

You’ve still continued to build friendships within the music industry and have called Davido one of your “realest friends.” Why is that specific connection real for you?

Well, I feel like when Davido [and I] started talking, it was a bit off ‘cause Davido has a lot of haters, really. But I just feel like this is somebody who has nothing to prove to anybody and he’s rich rich. But he has this driving force and I feel like that is one thing about the Nigerian youth. We all have that thing of wanting to do this and do it in the highest capacity, and that is really attractive, you know.

The whole Nigerian Afrobeats scene is very separated. It’s like if you're with Davido, you’re on one side; if you're with Wizkid, you’re on the other. Back in 2024, I actually unfollowed Burna Boy, Wizkid, and Davido. I felt like they started something with Afrobeats that we needed, but it was an old pattern. I wanted to let them go and do my own thing. But this song with Davido [“With You”] happened so naturally and organically. It made me fall in love with him as a person. We started sharing deep stuff. The song blew up, and it gave me my first Grammy nomination. You can see how genuine that record was.

You actually passed right by me on the Grammy carpet. I didn't get to grab you in time.

The Grammys was one of my weirdest moments. I was feeling so awkward. I had been having issues in my relationship two days before the Grammys and that shit was just draining all of my energy. At the Grammys, I was not even myself. I didn't even know what I was doing there. It felt awkward, like I didn’t belong.

Why would you think you don't belong there?

The environment is hyper-stimulating. These are all the people I’ve looked up to, and suddenly we are all in the same room. I blame it on my mind and the things happening right before — and even inside — the event. Inside the event was actually when I ended a relationship, because it was taking up too much of my mental capacity. After that, I went outside and said, You know what? I’m going to come back here. Different. Way different. Jaw-dropping different.

You share a lot of your feelings on social media, which brings both support and controversy. How do you deal with that feedback?

I know what I like. I know exactly what I want. Once it doesn't sound like what I want, I move on. I’m growing into keeping to myself more these days. Sometimes my intrusive thoughts win and I just post shit, but I’m learning.

“Don't Love Me” is such a vulnerable song. Can you talk about making that?

I made that in 2024. I was hurting so bad. I went to the studio and just said my truth. I was doing a lot of drugs. I felt numb. I was desensitized. I wasn't enjoying the natural things everybody enjoys. I needed more and more. Even love wasn't for me at that time. I felt completely empty. That’s where "Don't Love Me" came from.

Do you make your best music when you're sober or high?

When I’m sober and I make art, and then I go sober, I still like the art. But when I’m high and I make art and then I get sober, I don't enjoy the art as much. So, when I’m sober. It helps me focus and just chill.

I have to ask about the incident where the girl went on stage at your London show. You’ve never really spoken about that.

I was pissed. I was pissed at the guy for a minute. This is a girl who had a chance to be on stage with one of her favorite artists. This is a life-changing opportunity. If I were him, I’d be recording it and being happy for my girl. She’s coming back to you after the song is over! It’s art. It’s one minute max. Why don't you just enjoy it? But he was acting like a victim, like somebody “"took his girl.”" That just shows that you guys don't have anything concrete. I was disappointed in the guy. Like, bro, what are you doing? We’re just dancing in front of 10,000 people. It’s art. Why are you dying over that feeling like a victim?

What is the biggest thing you want people to take away from Clarity of Mind?

Just put those headphones on and fly. Just be. Nothing else apart from existing. Just exist, bro. Just exist. Listen to the music and let go of everything. Peace, love — anchor yourself in that.