Native Sound System announces debut single, 'runaway' to feature Lojay and Ayra Starr

The NATIVE Sound System album is yet another channel by which we are identifying and championing the sounds from this side, to the world watching. Produced and curated according to the climatic and cultural seasons found in our home of Lagos Nigeria, this album paints a picture of the sounds that highlight a typical year in Nigeria. From the murky Hip-Hop beats that keep us energised through the rainy weather, to the Amapiano bangers that sustain our festive period; from the breezy bounces that accompany us on boat rides to the beach to the intermediary lull of our dry season. In meteorology, seasons are defined by climatic patterns. In our world, seasons are defined by The SOUND. 

One of the first tracks to be recorded, the rainy season track, “Runaway” began as a ballad by Lojay, woven together in London, before going through the production hands of New World Ray, and Sholz (Cordae, Kaycyy Pluto), ultimately arriving in Lagos where Ayra Starr laid down her vocals. Over a year after its completion, “Runaway” emerges as the lead single off this long-awaited debut release, having gone through additional touches from producers Lido (Chance The Rapper, Ariana Grande) and Adey (Tems, Tiwa Savage). 

The music video for “Runaway” is directed by Black Is King's Dafe Oboro. In partnership with Bottega Venetta, and spotlighting the works of African designers such as Kenneth Ize, the “Runaway” visuals are an artistic rendering of the impassioned and turbulent love story narrated by Ayra Starr and Lojay on the record. Coupling two of 2021's most prolific breakout Afropop artists, in what will be their first ever collaboration, "Runaway" strikes the perfect balance between the familiar and the new. As the video aligns the world’s of these distant childhood lovers, so the single marries two well-known artists in a pioneering sound that straddles Pop and Alternative tastes as never before heard. NATIVE Sound System’s first ever single, "Runaway" is an accomplished representation of the foundational purpose of this debut album; showcasing the depth and the scope of our SOUND. 

NATIVE SOUND SYSTEM

NATIVE Sound System is the DJ Collective and production supergroup under the Lagos-born media company, The NATIVE Networks, also known for its annual music festival NATIVELAND, and its biennial magazine, The NATIVE.

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