As Afrobeats continues to conquer global charts and digital spaces, a new voice is rising through the noise: Gbono. With his fearless sound and genre-defying debut EP, ‘Maybe a Little Longer’, the Okene-born artist is fast becoming one to watch in 2025.
Born and raised in Kogi State, Gbono draws on a rich musical heritage, Fuji, Juju, hip hop, and R&B to create a sound that is as eclectic as it is personal. That blend powers his fresh take on Afrobeats: grounded in raw storytelling, political candor, and sonic experimentation.
“I can rap, sing, and produce music across genres from hip-hop and R&B to reggae — but I chose Afrobeats and Afrofusion because they give me the widest playground for expression. Afrobeats lets me bring all those influences together while staying rooted in my identity as a Nigerian artist. I can sing in English, Yoruba, or patois. I can harmonize, rap, or chant and it still feels cohesive, still feels like home,” he noted. Now, with the release of his five-track debut on May 2, 2025, Gbono is stepping boldly into the spotlight.
Anchored by the viral hit “Mezebu,” currently lighting up TikTok, and the politically charged anthem “Nigerian,” the EP expands the emotional and thematic reach of Afrobeats. While “Mezebu” pulses with irresistible rhythm and layered emotion, “Nigerian” confronts systemic injustice head-on with unapologetic lyrics and urgency. “I wrote ‘Nigerian’ on a bus while stuck in traffic, broke, and technically homeless. I was squatting with friends, job-hunting, trying to survive. That’s what the song captures. Not just pain, but the weight of being Nigerian — what it takes to keep hoping, even when everything around you feels broken,” he recalled.
Other tracks are 6,6, Far & Wide and Tonight.
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