Joeboy and Wizard Chan’s ‘Agaba Romantic’ is an accomplished collaboration

When Wizard Chan tapped Joeboy for the hit song ‘Loner (Alone)' in his 2024 EP ‘The Messenger,’ it was an ambitious move to add some pop appeal to his niche sound. The result delivered beyond the charts as both artists struck a friendship that found expression in their seamless collaboration.

In ‘Heal’ off Wizard Chan’s critically acclaimed debut LP, he again called on Joeboy to lay verse that holds the heart needed to tell a story of pain and healing. So when they decided to make a joint EP, it’s nothing short of what their artistic synergy deserves.

Wizard Chan is the personification of the diversity that abounds in Nigerian music, albeit grossly underappreciated. Joeboy, on the other hand, is one of Afrobeats' finest hopeless romantics who makes pop hits that tug at the heartstrings. When you combine both, you get colourful cultural essence, vibrant genre-blending, and swoony soft tunes.

In ‘Agaba Romantic,’ Wizard Chan, being the Agaba (the "Big Masquerade" as he's called), and Joeboy being the romantic, two distinct worlds collide to create a kaleidoscopic result where vulnerability, introspection, and love tell stories of Nigeria’s countryside music and its perpetual presence in shaping urban desires and ambitions. Across 7 songs, Wizard Chan and Joeboy deliver notable moments that flatter both their artistic sensibilities.

Their songwriting prowess shines on folk opener ‘Fall Back In Your Arms’ where they mold melodies over soulful strings and soothing percussions to create pastoral music with all the necessary cultural context. Wizard Chan chaperons a trip to the Ijaw hinterlands, where they draw from the spirituality and energy of Gyration music to make ‘Lazarus’, which moves and jerks the mainstream to reckon with a notable cultural sound that carries the struggles and hopes of generations. The cultural beauty of Highlife drives ‘100 Meters’ where they sweet-talk damsels with popstar finesse and Afropop relevant songwriting.

While only 7 tracks, they managed to deliver a rich sonic diversity that offers both a robust and coherent experience. From offering sweet love while interpolating Bob Marley’s famous “no woman no cry” line on the Konto bounce of ‘Woman,’ to Qing Madi’s brilliant cameo on the Reggae joint ‘Love, Sick, Crazy,’ Wizard Chan and Joeboy express the many colours of romance through hearty records that hold their identity.

Ultimately, it’s the closer ‘Forever,’ that sums up the mindset that drives both stars to combine their talents and bridge their worlds to make this joint project. It’s the love of the music. The desire to make music that moves their souls rather than just the audience. This is why they achieve the level of quality that reminds listeners of the spirituality, originality, and purpose in Nas and Damian Marley’s collaborative album ‘Distant Relatives’.

RATINGS: /10

• 0-1.9: Flop
• 2.0-3.9: Near fall
• 4.0-5.9: Average
• 6.0-7.9: Victory
• 8.0-10: Champion

Pulse Rating: /10
Album Sequencing: 1.7/2
Songwriting, Themes, and Delivery: 1.7/2
Production: 1.6/2
Enjoyability and Satisfaction: 1.7/2
Execution: 1.7/2

TOTAL - 8.4