Fireboy DML: The 'Obaa Sima' is all about turning up and celebrating l-o-v-e
Could you use some love to warm up up these days? Look no further than what international rap crooner Fireboy DML is serving up for The Culture courtesy of the newly released ‘Obaa Sima’ music video.
It’s all types of turn up vibes and if you’re big into storytelling, the twist in the visual hits you hard. Tap in.
Award-winning Nigerian singer-songwriter Fireboy DML rings in the New Year in Ghana with compelling visuals for his latest single “Obaa Sima” (via YBNL Nation/EMPIRE). A soul-stirring exploration of love and life's transience, “Obaa Sima" unfolds with a relaxed ambiance, skillfully blending instrumental strings and a gentle drum beat to emphasize Fireboy's soulful vocals. Urgent pleas and poignant metaphors permeate the lyrics conveying a profound sense of longing and also serving as a reflective piece, inviting fans to appreciate the fleeting beauty of the present moment.
In the accompanying music video, which was shot in Ghana and directed by the talented Jyde Ajala, we are taken on a visual journey that enhances the song's emotional depth. The narrative unfolds with Fireboy captivated by a beautiful woman, with their love story set against breathtaking backdrops, as the video seamlessly combines moments of joy, dance, and celebration at a vibrant festival. The video then takes an unexpected dramatic turn, showcasing life’s impermanence, as the storyline shifts between scenes of camping, dancing, and celebration to craft a compelling narrative with a balance of suspense and emotion.
In addition to “Obaa Sima,” Fireboy launched four other impactful records in 2023, “Someone”, “YAWA,”, “OH MY,” and “Outside” ft. Blaqbonez along with becoming a heavily sought after feature artist, which serves as a testament to his unwavering musical prowess. Persisting in his unstoppable momentum, on the awards circuit he was honored for chart-topping single,"Peru,”(which achieved Platinum status in the U.S. and 2x Platinum in the UK) for “International Song of the Year” at the 2023 BRIT Awards, the “Most Performed Work of the Year” at the2023 BMI London Awards, as well as both “Song of the Year" and "Best Collaboration" at the 2023 Trace Awards. His song “Bandana”with Asake was nominated for “Best Afrobeats” at this year’s MTV Video Music Awards as well as the 2023 Headies Awards for “Viewer's Choice.”
ABOUT FIREBOY DML
Dubbed the ‘future’ of Afrobeats, Fireboy DML first emerged on the Nigerian music scene in 2019 with the re-release of his breakout single “Jealous” which was originally a part of YBNL’s 2018 collaborative album, YBNL Mafia Family. On June 14, 2019, he followed up “Jealous” with the explosive romantic number “What If I Say” and later that year, on the 29th of November released his debut album, Laughter, Tears and Goosebumps. LTG had no features for a debut album and amassed over 100 million streams by January 2020. The album maintained the #1 position across the Nigerian charts for over 12 weeks with ‘Jealous’ becoming one of the most played songs on African radio stations that year. Building on the success of LTG, Fireboy followed up his debut with an inventive sophomore project, Apollo. It received a whopping rating of 8.3 on Pitchfork, amongst other accolades. In 2021, Fireboy released his biggest single yet, “Peru”. The single would go on to feature Ed Sheeran in an explosive remix peaking at No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart and garnering over 20.6 million Spotify streams, earning it a hallowed place as the most streamed song in Nigeria in early 2022. His newest album, Playboy, sees the sensual, sweet-natured artist shift gears into a confident, self-possessed bad boy persona resulting in a Pitchfork review of the album, which got a 7.4 rating. He has been nominated for a number of awards including the Best International Act award at the 2022 BET Awards, where he became the first Nigerian artist to perform on the BET stage and the NAACP Image Awards in 2021, amongst others. Fireboy remains one of the leading Afrobeats talents reinventing a wholly global future of the fast-rising genre.