UK-based AfroPop and Afrobeats artist Moelogo has more than impressed with his newly released debut EP Moe Is My Name, Music Is My Logo and the 23-year old vocalist – real name Mohammed Animashaun – is fast building a household name for himself in the music industry. With his lead singles “Pangolo” and “Mary J” growing to become two of the UK’s top requested Afrobeats songs of 2013, Moelogo is proving not only to be a hard working artist but also a talented vocalist and writer. Not only can he sing and write in English, he can also do it in his native language and having performed alongside great Afrobeats artists such as 2Face, Ice Prince, Jesse Jagz, Femi Kuti and Iyanya among others, Moelogo is also proving to be a consummate live performer as well.
From the very first time I heard “Pangolo”, I became very interested to know more about the artist behind the song. The single is such an amazing song with the beat, lyrics and vocals all colluding together to make this song quite amazing. The music video for , which was directed by Chas Appeti and Simon Dewey, fits right with the music and the lyrics of the song and “Pangolo” quickly became a fan favourite. I do however prefer the “Pangolo” remix featuring hugely talented Nigerian Pop/Rap trio DRB Lasgidi – this remix just show cases Moelogo’s singing abilities and vocal range which I love to hear from singing artists.
“Pangolo (Remix)”:
To be honest, I believed that Moelogo was just going to be another artist that comes out with a one hit wonder and that would be it, but I was very wrong. A few months after “Pangolo”, Moelogo released his second single “Mary J” which obviously impressed his fans and audiences as it quickly went on to be playlisted by Choice FM. Produced by Bayoz Muzik, “Mary J” proved to be a success with Afrobeats fans and listeners especially the female ones. Being some sort of love song for a special lady or a well known herb, the song surely got the female fans jealous for Moelogo’s attention and I can say that from experience – having a few girlfriends of mine who are interested to know who or what this song is really about. Sonically, “Mary J” is not an up tempo song like “Pangolo”, it is much calmer and mellow, backed mainly by heavy piano arrangements, deft drums and a soft synth-heavy beat backdrop. The contrast of the two singles just goes to show that Moelogo is capable of recording many different types of music styles quite with ease.
“Mary J (Remix)”:
I can’t say that I know Moelogo personally but having spoken to him a few times, I can tell you that he is very humble and polite and to me, that is as important for an artist as his actual talent and having seen him perform live quite a few times now, his stage presence is really strong for a seemingly emerging artist. He handles the stage with much power and dominance and always pleases the crowds and his fans, me being one of them (guilty). I recently saw him perform at One Mic UK’s Afrobeats Special and he totally killed the performance, I have not seen a young artist perform like that in a while, and he owned the entire stage. Performing “Pangolo”, “Mary J” and a cover rendition of Chris Brown’s “Fine China” backed by a live band, Moelogo showcased his vocals extremely well and let me tell you, this guy can sing!
“Dem Girls”:
His debut EP Moe Is My Name, Music Is My Logo was recently released to rave reviews and critical acclaim and features Mista Silva, Fuse ODG, Tribal Magz, Stylo G, DRB Lasgidi, Dee Moneey and Fem Fel. Every single track on the EP is a tune to look forward to with my early favorites being “Dem Girls” featuring Mista Silva and “Pangolo (Remix)” which I already waxed lyrical about. Moelogo’s Moe is My Name, Music Is My Logo is out now and you can download it HERE. MAKE SURE YOU GET IT!
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Whitney Abiodun
