The Jiggy Melodies of Young Jonn

His breezy vocals wash over you as you begin to listen. The song ‘Tony Montana’, opens up the album in prayer, as Young Jonn reflects, ‘Olorun Jo (Lord please)/ make I no dull/ where I come from, there’s no time to shalaye.’ Across his new 16-track album, Jiggy Forever, the Chocolate City singer-producer unrolls a snapshot of his life’s experiences as a young superstar, zooming in on his reliance on God, love for family and his mission to live in the moment.

For Young Jonn, who’s made a fortune off producing some of the country’s biggest hits since the early 2010s, making music isn’t about a struggle for survival anymore. Since he broke out as a singer, in 2022, with his hit-packed extended play series Love Is Not Enough Volume 1 & 2, the singer has steadily been on airwaves and popular streaming charts.

From previously finding fame as a ‘wicked producer’ to touring the world as the ‘Jiggy’ superstar, Young Jonn seems to be treading a lone race. “I am competing against only myself,” he said. And this hunger for creative expression which shaped his earlier hits like ‘Aquafina’, ‘Dada’, among others, still colours this new album, resulting in fine fusion-focused gems like ‘Pot of Gold’, ‘Bahamas’, the Don Jazzy-assisted ‘Full My Tank’ and the Sean Paul-assisted ‘Hold On’, among others. The album rings through with a very cohesive and cathartic feel, ranking as one of the best Afrobeats albums released this year.

Catching up with The Guardian, the 29-year-old maverick, born John Saviours Udomboso, unfurls his euphoric headspace, exploring his bohemian approach to making his favourite records on the album; as well as his thoughts on industry feuds, and his devotion to spreading happiness with his music.

How does it feel dropping this new album?
I mean, Feels good. Feels amazing. Like you said it’s been a long journey and I’m so glad that we are finally at this point. Yeah, it’s been a wonderful journey. It’s been amazing. It’s been a long time coming also. I’m glad that we are at this point right now and I’m looking forward to what the future holds.

How long have you been working on it?
Well, I mean, I’ve just been working, you know, round-the-clock, recording my music regardless of where I am. So, I’ve always been recording, even while doing shows around the world. I’ve been recording for a while.

When did you decide to compile the album?
Well, I would say late last year, we were going to drop the album, but owing to time constraints, we couldn’t; so, I think that was when it really dawned on me that we were dropping this album and that’s when I had that title, Jiggy Forever.

What does the title embody?
Just like the title suggests, Jiggy Forever means living a lifestyle of always staying strong, fly, fresh. You know, just keep going. Just keep staying up. Be regardless of what comes your way, you know, just stay jiggy. That’s really what it is.

Do you have a formula for your hits?
I mean, when I am making music I just like to do what’s on my mind, you know; there’s no formula or restrictions or whatever. I’m just really having fun while at it, you know?

Tell us about your favourite songs off the album?
One song I would say is ‘Stronger’. It is really about my mom. And how much I miss her and I wish she was here right now at this point. ‘Bahamas’ is a feel-good song. ‘Bahamas’ is literally about my life. I love to just live life, man. So, that song is just like saying nobody should stress me. You know, the only thing on my mind is the money; getting the money out or how I am getting the money. Another song I love is ‘Tony Montana’. The song is a prayerful song about asking God to shine the light on you.

Tell us about your collaboration with Sean Paul?
Well, Sean Paul’s collaboration is an interesting one. I mean, we have all been listening to Sean Paul growing up, you know, having him on a record with me is so amazing. I really appreciate that. And I recorded the song last year, and we sent it out to his team. I was in Dubai when my manager just sent me an mp3 on WhatsApp and it turned out to be with his verse on the song.

What were you trying to achieve with the sounds that you actually went for when compiling the album?
I was just having fun when I was making the music, you know; there’s no direction or guidelines. Yeah, we were just recording and having fun.

Do you have a favourite ambience when it comes to making music?
I mean, with me there are no guidelines. I record on the road a lot. So, a lot of times I’m just in my hotel room or in my apartment and with my equipment and I just record.

Tell us about the feature with the Congolese singer Ya Levis?
I love African music. I particularly love French so much. I feel it is a very sweet language. I have a lot of French ladies in my life. So, there’s something the language does to me. So, when I recorded that song I knew I wanted a French collaboration on it. Ya Levis and I have worked on something in the past that never came out. So, it was just right to do something again.

What is your biggest motivation these days?
Apart from the fact that I want to make my mom proud, I want to make myself proud. I want to look back and be proud of myself. I want to be 70 years old and look back and see that I’ve put in so much work that cannot be denied. You know, and I’ve laid the foundation of freedom, like a free life, a good life, for myself and the generation after me to come. So that’s really what makes me keep going, you know. This is why I’m always competing with myself and thinking of what to do to make myself better.

Are there areas in the music scene you think should be explored?
There’s a lot of sounds that are untapped that we have not dived into yet, you know, but I feel like that is because the music keeps evolving. You know what I mean? So, let’s see where it takes us.
Your music right now is rooted in your lifestyle and experiences.

Tell us about the bitter and sweet aspects of your superstar life now?
I love most aspects, especially being able to meet people who love what I do and feel connected to what I’m trying to achieve with my sound. But the constant comparisons that artists get to other artists from the media can be quite off putting. We all bring something different to the industry. We should be celebrating everyone’s efforts and how far the industry has gone instead of tearing people down. Just like two years ago there were no Billboard Charts for Afrobeats but now we do and I even have seven songs charting at the same time. Those are the things we should be celebrating.

If you were to list your own musical heroes of all time, who would they be and why?
Most of my musical heroes are African artistes I grew up listening to like Lagbaja, Tuface, and Beautiful Nubia.

Amapiano seems to be leading the airwaves these days. What are your sentiments towards this genre that has fueled a lot of your hit tracks?
I believe that music is a global language that isn’t limited to just one region. As artists, we draw inspiration from different sounds and genres. For example, there’s a strong connection between hip hop and jazz because hip hop artists used jazz groves as a jump off point. So what’s wrong with having a strong connection between afrobeats and amapiano? My music is inspired by many sounds. If you listen to songs from the album like “Pot of Gold”, you’ll hear Asian influences. It’s all about appreciation and trying to connect with people across the globe. I have a strong fan base in South Africa.

Lastly, what’s next for Young Jonn?
I want people to listen to my music and be inspired. I want them to go out and find joy even in the darkest moments because life is what we make of it. I want people to stay jiggy.