Khaid (pronounced Kayd) appears briefly on screen as we work to sort out links and overcome technical issues on our interview, one of his first since he became a TikTok sensation and national fave with the double header of Jolie and Anabella, which he then solidified with the Emotions EP, blending African elements and heartfelt emotion for what was an excellent summation of his time in the industry and potentials of the future. He has his hair plaited into large braids that are all black save for one or two pink ones, this colour cleverly reflecting the saccharine flavour and passionate essence of his music.
But there is more to Khaid than just ballads of love and infatuation, so this is only a thin slice of an artistry that incorporated Hip-Hop, Trap and even Street Pop as a young Khaid sought to fashion a sonic identity for himself in a market that is not very rewarding to artists who deviate from Afropop’s safe, marketable waters. Khaid says trap is an integral side to his music. “I started by making music with Trap, Trap is a side of me. I started trapping before I could even do Afrobeats so that’s me when you want to know me”. As for how he found himself in Afropop, he acknowledges this reinvention to be market-directed. “You know, the record label, the industry, you have to make what’s relatable to the people”.
The earliest seeds of his love for music were sowed by his parents, who offered somewhat contrasting sounds to Khaid, christened Sulaimon Shekoni Abiola. “I had my mom and my dad, they were the biggest people that made me start going hard on making music. They play music almost 24/7, any time my Dad is working he plays different types of stuff but mainly Fuji music and my mom loves listening to Michael Jackson so it was a very big influence on me as a child.” When he started creating his own music, though, he went for a new genre, rap, honing his talents through intra- and inter-school competitions.
“At that time we had these parties that we organised in our school every end of the year. At these parties, there were different activities to do and a rapping competition was one of them. I used to participate in rapping competitions sometimes at these parties, sometimes it’s just normal school days. You compete with other classes and from there I just started taking music more seriously and I started loving it more, loving making music.” When Khaid left secondary school in 2020, it was time to make major decisions. His passion for music was evident, yet for most creatives in Nigeria, tertiary education remains the safest option. But Khaid had no much interest in the university at the time. “I didn’t like the university like that. I was so scared of going into the university plus they said for JAMB we have to sit down with a computer and all and I didn’t want to do that”.
He continues, “I just told my dad I want to do music and at that time things were really shaky at home a little bit so they just vibed with it, they were like okay but if I want to do music, I would have to do something as a backup plan. That’s why I was a mechanic”. Thankfully, he didn’t have to struggle very long. He continued to post snippets of his singing on Instagram, and it was there that the popular comedian and CEO of Neville Records, Sydney Talker, discovered him.
He recounts their first Instagram interaction, still reeling in disbelief, although it occurred three years ago. “He sent me a message on Instagram and I always tell everybody that at first I thought it was a fake page. Of course, I didn’t want to reply but I just had to check the message and when I tapped on his page I saw like a million followers and I was like wow it’s gone! it’s gone!”. He laughs as he exclaims. “I actually thought maybe because he is connected to Davido so I said ah Davido will sign me”. But while his time with Sydney Talker did not go according to his fairytale, he has only good things to say about his label boss, who signed him at their first meeting. “Getting to meet him and see the type of person he is just made me know that I believe in this guy’s dream, I believe in everything he says. The first day I met him was the same day he told me that I was signed, and that he wanted to sign me and it was shocking. I was so happy I didn’t even know what to do, I just said yes! I didn’t even think about any paper or any paperwork. We got to live together for about two years before doing any paperwork stuff”.
In 2022, it was time for Neville Records to properly launch its new artist, and Khaid released his debut single, WITH YOU. “It was the big spark for me on my music journey on a more professional level. Seeing the reaction of people, the love they showed the song, that was when I knew I had to get serious with what I’m doing, let the people see me more for what I do.” He followed this sizzling debut with SKI in April, eventually birthing the DIVERSITY EP, where he brought together the best of his worlds—Afropop, Trap, Rap and more—as an audition of his capability and diversity. With his next release, Amala, he widened his tapestry even further, introducing crude slang-powered Street Pop on the track, which featured Street music stalwarts in Zlatan and Rexxie. This change of pace, momentary as it was, proved that there were more layers to his artistry than he chose to reveal. In his own words: “That’s another side of me because I used to make Street hop songs then. I used to listen to artists like Lil Frosh and Zinoleesky and they were some of the big people around us at that time. It’s always good to have different things obviously so no one can really tell what’s coming next.”
This unpredictability is a strength of Emotions, Khaid’s month-old EP which attracts you with its big love-laced singles in Jolie and Anabella, but ultimately keeps you with Khaid’s heartfelt, honest writing on Jara and People (Evil). He sings on the latter about not wanting to be a mechanic, a popular colloquialism that takes on a profound meaning from Khaid’s lips because he has already been one.
But nowhere on Khaid’s discography does he channel emotion like on Forever, his latest track and a tribute to Mohbad, the Street Pop singer whose tragic passing a few weeks ago was felt by a nation of fans. Khaid explains his relationship with the late star. “We didn’t see [each other] all the time, but every time I saw him it was always good energy, good vibes, always watching out for me. The love for him was just so massive. The part [on the song] where he booked the room for me, we both missed our flights that day and he booked the room. I didn’t want to go inside the room to not disturb him so I just wanted to sleep on the chair and table, but he was like ‘no no no no no’, I should come inside the room and stay on the bed”, he recounts.
“And then from that time, anytime we saw it was just good vibes like true good energy and I really appreciate him for that, and I felt it was really something that needs to be seen and we need to get justice for him”. All proceeds from the song will be paid to Mohbad’s son, Liam. Khaid, like the rest of the industry, continues to mourn the passing of a man and an artist that everyone had such glowing regard for.
His EP is only a few weeks old, but the horizon begins to clear for Khaid’s future. He recently completed a trip to America, where he got a chance to meet American trappers Lil Durk and DDG, as well as singer Chris Brown. “I’m so glad, that it’s at that level that before I get to meet them, they know me already. The love, and the welcoming were really really cool. Big shout out to Sydney Talker, Dr. Michael, Neville Records, and shout out to Lil Durk, Chris Brown, DDG”
He keeps his lips pursed on what to expect from these meetings, his keyword is to “anticipate”. But even beyond these potential cross-continental collaborations, there is a lot to anticipate from Khaid. His talent and versatility have been established across two EPs and a number of hit singles, so that, like he said, his next move can hardly be predicted. But what is certain is that his affecting vocals and effusive writing excel at whatever genre he applies them to, and should propel him upwards in Nigeria’s music industry.