Anthony Victor, a Nigerian rising star, was involved in a horrific car accident on April 27th, 2021.
Victony is prepared for the Grammys after delving deeply into Afrobeats [Pulse Exclusive Interview]
This Nigerian youngster is ready to soar to the Grammys after nearly losing his limbs.
Victony
Also known as Victony, he was returning from a birthday party with his friends when the incident occurred. The story went viral on the internet, breaking his fans who knew him as the Outlaw King.
Victony and two others were severely injured in the incident, which claimed a life. The rapper's career was on the verge of being over. But after undergoing major surgery, he miraculously survived. It has been a year since he had released the Saturn EP in collaboration with MainlandBlockParty.
He has since returned to the studio near the end of last year, following his physiotherapy sessions, to continue his journey to the Grammys.
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Victony
Pulse Nigeria
Last year, the singer, who sees the Grammys as a global stage rather than an award, was one of the young stars to perform at London's O2 arena for the first time.
Victony
Pulse Nigeria
This simply adds to the fact that 2021 will be a memorable year for him. From the hardships of losing a friend's life and nearly losing his own limbs to performing in front of 20,000 people in the arena and hundreds of thousands more who watched online.
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Despite these victories, Victony is only 21 years old and has plenty of time to accomplish even more. The Nigerian Afrobeats prince spoke with Pulse Nigeria about how the accident changed his life and the adjustments he has had to make since.
He is now seeing life differently.
During the chat, he speaks about how his situation has given him enough time to explore his sound and delve deep into Afrobeats, conquering the world with his soon-to-be released 'Outlaw' EP and his admiration for Drake's versatility. Here is our one-on-one chat with him;
Pulse: You just dropped a single. You titled it, 'Apollo'. Do you think you are the god of love or something?
Victony: No o (laughs). Matter of fact, the song isn't even about love. It's just, you know, growing up the apollo the red eyes. So yeah that's the angle I was coming from writing the song.
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Pulse: Some days ago you replied to a very interesting tweet with LOL and an acronym. Did you disagree with Omah Lay's tweet?
Victony: I mean, shoutout to Omah Lay mehn. He is really dope. I am a fan of Omah Lay but saying he cannot be touched. That's where I disagree. It didn't even come from a point of view of 'Oh I'm better than him' no! I mean there are just great songwriters. We have Lojay, Buju. we have Ruger...
Pulse: What are your top five?
Victony: The names I'm calling right now. First Burna Boy of course. Burna, Lojay, Omah Lay, Buju, and there is Fireboy.
Pulse: Do you think you are one of them?
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Victony: Yeah, of course. Why not?
Pulse: Did you have a conversation with Omah Lay after that?
Victony: No, but we are cool. Me and Omah we go way back from when he was a producer. I jumped on one of his beats like way back even before he started singing. But, mehn if he has a problem with it then that's fine. I just tweeted it and that was it. If he wants to die on it then that's fine.
Pulse: Some days after, some persons accused you of faking that you couldn't walk. What do you think about that?
Victony: Well, it just happened to come at the right time. Life is funny. life is funny but everything just happened.
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Victony
Pulse Nigeria
Pulse: But were you disappointed by that notion that people could have of you?
Victony: No, I mean it's alright. You know we have like smart people and we have dumb people. Dumb people say dumb stuff and dumb people support them. I wasn't disappointed. I have been seeing it since like last year. To me, if it's a problem and you felt I blew because of the wheelchair come and collect your own and collect your own fame. I just tweeted it and went to perform. It's really not that deep.
Pulse: For your generation, Fireboy, Joeboy, Rema, everybody, who did you meet first?
Victony: I don't really know them. I have never met them but we are just are cool on the internet. We text each other once or twice on Instagram. We are cool but never really met them. The artists I'm friends with are not really big. They are big sha but not so big. Probably just in my level.
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Pulse: Do you feel like people just want you guys to be cool? People want to see friendships around artists?
Victony: I don't know. I don't really know what people want but its cool with everybody
Pulse: Before you started making music, who were you before the EP?
Victony: Before the EP, I was Victony the rapper. I was doing like a whole lot of rap stuff. I was primarily a rapper. I felt like singers are not hardworking but the pandemic came and we were all locked in. I was opportune to lock in with producers and I decided to try singing.
Pulse: Wait, before the pandemic you have never tried to sing before?
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No no, I have but on a subtle P. Then I realized that afrobeats is a complex thing. The whole process of doing something so easy yet very very hard. It's a P. Like to do something that people will sing along to with ease or will stick to people's minds, it has to come from a conscious space but you still have to make it seem like it's just vibes. The pandemic helped me realize what afrobeats is all about and then the Saturn EP came up. But the Saturn EP is like an introductory part of my singing. Like I have not really figured it but right now I feel like I get it. But right now I'm now back to touching other music genres.
Pulse: Do you think you will ever release a rap album?
Victony: Yea yea, mehn I have a couple of rap songs. I'm still recording rap songs.
Pulse: Will you describe 2021 as when everything changed for you or the Saturn EP?
Victony: I will say Saturn EP. The reception of the Saturn EP made me understand the possibility of where everything could go. 2021 had a more visible change and impact. It made me know there is more to come. It made me know that the Grammys and the world stage are possible.
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Pulse: So is that the ultimate dream? the Grammys?
Victony: No, not the Grammys per se but my ultimate dream is for my music to reach the far ends of the world.
Pulse: But are awards good though?
Victony: Yes, they are good but still doesn't make the artist who he is. What makes an artist is his connection to his fans. Like, have your music impacted your fans? It's more about that for me.
Pulse: Which collaboration is your favourite feature from last year?
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Victony: Well I can't choose, I will say all of them
Pulse: How did the collaboration with Mayorkun happen?
Victony: Well, Mayor wanted some new stuff for his album. So we got to link through Alhaji and he just let me take the lead.
Pulse: "Holy Father, I'm screaming my lady gaga", what was happening then?
Victony: Yo mehn! this chick is just yo! Holy father! Just laying emphasis on how hot or beautiful she possibly looks.
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Pulse: Let's talk about the accident. Do you remember the frame of mind you were in before the accident?
Victony: I think I had an interview the next day or I was supposed to head back to school the next day to FUTO or something. Just that, I had a lot on my mind.
Pulse: Were you conscious after the impact?
Victony: No, I was unconscious. But I got conscious in the hospital.
Pulse: You were not feeling pain when you woke up?
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Victony: I was feeling pain but I didn't realize how severe it was. I felt Like I would be leaving the hospital in hours or something
Pulse: Where was the impact point on your body?
Victony: Here and there (pointing at his laps)
Pulse: When did the physiotherapy start?.
Victony: It started at the hospital though. They just came and made sure I was raising my leg every day. Then two or three months I started learning how to stand and do all this P again.
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Victony
Pulse Nigeria
Pulse: Throughout those three months, were you worried that you will never get to walk again?
Victony: At the hospital I was sha. Do you know the funny thing? I did not believe that anything serious happened to me even when I woke I'm like yo these guys are capping. Then one day the doctor came and like yo 'try to sit at the edge of your bed'. It was so hard when trying to move. That was the first time I broke down trying to sit at the edge of my bed. The pain that came and everything. That's when I realized that yo I actually did break my legs. That's when I got scared, what if I don't walk again but before then it didn't really come to my head.
Pulse: At the Davido event, you stood up for the first time. Was that the really first time you stood up?
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Victony: Obviously not. I have done it before like a week before. I just really wanted to be up and doing. At the hospital I did it and I really wanted to make the announcement really special for the fans. It hasn't been a nice time for us so I wanted to make it really special.
Pulse: At the end of last year, a lot of people were like next year is Victony's. Did that act any pressure on you?
Victony: Na, I feel like it's a marathon, not a sprint. I know that I am definitely going to be one of the biggest artists out of Africa. It is not about whose year it is for me. So I'm just gonna keep climbing and climbing. I'm just gonna keep dropping songs, build that structure and connect with my fans so that by the time we expand it's going to be a problem (laughs).
Pulse: Are you still in school?
Victony: Yeah I was supposed to go back but ASUU yeah!
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Pulse: How did the accident and recuperation change your recording habit?
Victony: When the accident happened, I really didn't have much to do. It kind of made me record more. Because I really had alone time and was having more inspiration not going out all day. I will just listen to songs and albums all day and it made me want to go to the studio and record. It made me record more.
Victony
Pulse Nigeria
Pulse: What are the lifestyle changes, some of the things you dropped or acquired after the incident?
Victony: I just have been more conscious. When I go out am like who is driving please don't drink o. I just have been more careful with life and everything.
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Pulse: What is the wildest DM you have received?
Victony: I have not received any wild DM.
Pulse: What will be your wildest DM?
Victony: That will be Drake (laughs). It's not really because of how big he is. Obviously big names will start sending me a DM, it's expected. Even when the big names come, I might not really be moved because when you are popping everybody, might want to reach out. Drake is another rapper-singer that when he is singing he doesn't make the excuse of he is a rapper and that is what I really wanted to do with Afrobeat I dint want to say oh I'm a rapper so manage this hook so i dug deep into Afrobeats cos my mentor will do the same.
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