Legendary Nigerian singer, songwriter and producer, Wande Coal, has finally released his highly anticipated fourth studio album, Legend Or No Legend, as featured in Okayafrica. The album takes Wande from superstar to certified legend status, and showcases his versatility as an artist by incorporating a diverse range of afrobeat sounds. Speaking on his new album, Wande Coal says, “This album is a reflection of my growth as an artist and as a person, and I can’t wait for my fans to connect with it”.
Legend Or No Legend is Wande’s most personal and introspective album to date – delving into
themes of love, loss, and the challenges that come with fame. A carefully curated list of
superstar features on the album include Grammy Award-winning icon T-Pain on ‘Streets’, long-time collaborator and afrobeats legend Wizkid on ‘Ebelebe’, new afropop star Fireboy DML on ‘Jabo’, and Pan-African music icon Olamide on the early fan-favourite ‘Kpe Paso’.
‘Kpe Paso’ amassed over 20 million plays online as the lead single from Legend Or No Legend, and alongside the recently released ‘Let Them Know’, both tracks set the tone for the project, garnering critical acclaim from the likes of Hypebeast, The Guardian, Earmilk and OkayAfrica. With Legend Or No Legend, which is poised to become a timeless classic serving as a testament to his ability to create music that resonates worldwide, Wande Coal has set a new standard for contemporary Afrobeat music, as he has always done with each new album.
ABOUT WANDE COAL
Wande Coal is one of the most revered, influential, and multifaceted African recording artists of the modern era, with over 200 million global streams to his credit. An award-winning singer, songwriter, and producer, the Lagos-born star is the voice behind afropop essentials including ‘Iskaba’, ‘So Mi So’, ‘Rotate’, ‘You Bad’, ‘Kiss Your Hand’, and ‘My Woman, My Everything’; and as international afrobeats selector and official DJ for Wizkid, DJ Tunez, told The FADER, “Wande is Africa’s number one vocalist… talent-wise, he’s that guy”.
Wande Coal’s music journey began in church, where he learned to sing and play the piano, helping him develop what would become his trademark soulful sound. In 2007, he joined Mo’ Hits — then Nigeria’s premier record label — after principals Don Jazzy and D’Banj noticed him as a dancer in music videos. Quickly becoming an indispensable part of the label’s writing and production stable, Wande penned some of its most notable releases including D’Banj’s landmark ‘Oliver Twist’, the Kanye West-endorsed big bang that birthed today’s afrobeats explosion.
In 2009, Wande released his seminal debut album, Mushin 2 Mo’ Hits, an era-defining LP that’s been called “the classic that set the bar for Afropop” by The Native Magazine. With singles like ‘Bumper to Bumper’, the album transformed the West African music landscape, adding a distinctly Naija flavor to the global dance pop sounds emerging at the time. At the Headies, Nigeria’s version of the Grammy Awards, in 2010, Wande Coal cleaned up, taking home a record five awards.
It would be half a decade before Wande Coal released his second album, Wanted, in 2015, a year that would turn out to be among his biggest. In addition to solo hits like ‘Baby Hello’, he joined forces with Nigerian reggae star Patoranking on ‘My Woman’, MTV Africa’s Song of the Year. The next few years would see Wande take afrobeats to even greater heights, first with ‘Iskaba’, one of 2017’s biggest songs, then 2018’s ‘So Mi So’, and 2019’s ‘Gentility’, before ending the decade with his acclaimed third studio album Realms, and an exciting global partnership with EMPIRE.
CONNECT WITH WANDE COAL: Instagram – Twitter
MEDIA & PRESS: Please direct all inquiries to Ayo Adepoju: [email protected]
