Victony’s debut album, Stubborn, wears its subject matter on its sleeve. The artist has been battling challenges right from his younger days and it reached a climatic point in 2021 when a harrowing accident almost stole his career and his life. But he fought back; he recovered and valiantly returned to living, to the battlefield. Victony has become who he is simply because he is tenacious, resilient, stubborn.

Because of the circumstances of his life and the path he has chosen — a tremendously talented young artist moving ascendantly in the Nigerian music industry — he must be. The cover art of the album reinforces this metaphor. He looks down at his conquest, an unsmiling front-line warrior garbed in a medieval chainmail coif — one who showed up, who saw, and who conquered.

This warrior ethos permeates the narratives detailed on the album, reflecting the hard times the young artist has endured. On the first track, “Oshaprapra,” he sings: “Them fit reach like one billi / But I be the one in a one zilli, one zillion / My oil e dey where e no finish.” In “History,” he revisits his challenging past, recounting tough days, days when “e red pass Iya Iyabo stew”.

Victony started out as a rapper but swayed to Afropop and his 2022 EP Outlaw — a project which showcased his potential with deeply reflective lyrics and a melodic rhythm that endeared him to many — further solidified his identity as an Afropop stylist. On Stubborn, Victony moves a lot. He explores interesting genres but remains established as an Afropop artist. And Afropop, as always, has, at its core, a hedonistic call that Victony obeys. The artist demonstrates this on tracks like “Ludo” a song with driving percussive elements where Shallipopi does what he does best: excels, and “Kolo (Kolomental II)” where his soft, melodious voice dances over quivering drums. 

Victony has such a serious thing for the female backside that it has become synonymous with his brand. He’s made it clear on previous tracks like “All Power”, “Booze & BumBum”, “Different Size”.

So it’s typical that on the trap-infused “Risk”, he declares that the “behind” of a love interest “dey cause me trouble, so make I no go blind” and dedicates a whole track to fawn over ‘Anita’ and her “cake”.

Like generations before him, Victony has got the incredibly sinuous artistic ability, flexibility, and the intoxicating charisma to swing between genres. The album’s artistic breadth is further highlighted by standout tracks such as “Slow Down,” where Victony teams up with Teezo Touchdowns to deliver a disco-tinged performance that demonstrates his adaptability. On “Tiny Apartment,” a collaboration with SAINt JHN, the narrative of a dissolving relationship is rendered with emotional depth.

Victony’s musical oeuvre tells of the indelible imprint of his cultural provenance, perpetually interpolating elements of his formative influences. His lyrical repertoire frequently exemplifies the profound impact of his socio-cultural context on his artistic vision.

This introspective engagement with his roots precipitates a nuanced synthesis of gravity and levity, crystallizing in a distinctive sonic aesthetic that not only honors his cultural legacy but also sublimates it into a transcendent art form. Throughout the album, his performance is consistently sublime, his voice conveying the duality of his existence — the weight of his struggles and the buoyancy of his spirit.