Tula Gartmayer
Tula is a musician, photographer, journalist, artist and world music Radio DJ. From Hungarian Gypsy heritage and having travelled the world at a young age, Tula’s interest in diverse music and culture has stayed with her at the forefront of her endeavours. Her work has been published in magazines across music and socio-political publications.
Alongside shots from his Brighton in-store performance, we reflect on Obongjayar’s beautiful and powerful new album ‘Paradise Now’
I had the pleasure of catching Obongjayar at Brighton’s Resident for the release of his new album ‘Paradise Now.‘ I first came across Obo eight years ago when Cerys Mathews played ‘Never Change‘ on BBC Radio 6 music. It stopped me in my tracks. It was like time slowed down, and somatically my body just unclenched. As someone who has felt like an outsider and has been chasing a sense of home for as long as I can remember, this moment just felt golden, like I had found that feeling.
I immediately understood Obongjayar was a trailblazer, that he wanted to communicate on the kinds of topics that most people want to avoid, and I’ve taken a lot from his music since. So, getting to shoot him and write up a piece on his new album was a real joy for me, and as such I whipped out some of my Granddad’s expired film from the 70’s to use.
Obongjayar brings us sonic blessings in his new album ‘Paradise Now‘; laced with ebbs and flows of deeply transparent vulnerability, which is potently powerful, alongside a natural collision of authority and a centred sense of self. Topics of the soul sit alongside well-spoken political commentary and light-hearted elements of the human experience.
The result is an endearing and refreshing authenticity. Transcending genres, there are core elements of Afrobeat, soul, dance, spoken word, anthemic instrumentation, and soft, holy vocals juxtaposed against dominant, deep, thunderous war cries. He is so clearly in touch with both his feminine and masculine, which only enhances his eclectic effervescence.
The first 3 tracks set the bar with a sense of declaration to Obongjayar’s multifaceted nature: “if you can’t take me in my softness then you can’t have me in my power”. There is a beautiful flow and overall sonic/emotional journey between the tracks and their positions in the album.
The album opens with ‘It’s Time‘ – angelic falsetto vocals lead us into a gentle pulsing beat. The vulnerability is present from the get go, “you made me feel so small and of no consequence, how did it feel, how did it feel”. Whilst having a heavy pulse, the instrumentation and vocal style keeps the song in a steady hypnotic rhythm. It has an endearing charm to it.
‘Life Ahead‘ switches up the mood, largely down to the vocal style change, being more forceful and present, whilst still intrinsically emotional. With lots of gentle percussion and subtle guitar work, this song really gripped my heart. “Broken down into so many pieces, everyone around me always leaving, I will never show you my true feelings… I don’t know how”.
The stark and beautiful contrast between the emblem of “this is who I am” and “I don’t have all the answers, look at my wounds” is what has always stood out for me most when it comes to Obonjayar’s craftsmanship, but ‘Paradise Now‘ is the most potent ownership of this, in regards to the fluctuations and juxtaposition of what it means to be a sentient being. You can’t have power without vulnerability.
It gives the sense that despite being hurt by someone, there is the ability to wish people well, to witness another’s flaws and their imperfections alongside you own boundaries and to leave behind resentment and hatred – which can obviously be a difficult thing.
‘Holy Mountain‘ claims 4th spot on the album, opening with “I wasn’t looking but I found you, my Holy Mountain”. A more notable ‘dance’ song, upbeat and catchy. “I want to love you, I want to know you, I want to praise you, and celebrate your name”. Cowbells signal when it’s time to get down.
‘Jellyfish‘ reminds us of the Obongjayar that we know well, from work such as 2022 album ‘Some Nights I Dream of Doors.’ It’s more commanding in its presence, as if you shouldn’t be doing anything else other than listening to this song. Politically charged, with a beat that throbs through you and an electric synth (I believe) that to my ears mimics a siren, pulsing like a tremolo between your ears. It gives a sense of urgency, nervous anticipation and excitement, with an element of time expiration to act.
“If you put a gun to my head and shoot me dead”. “Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb falling from the skies, bomb, bomb spawned by the stars and stripes, too real for this world”. It’s almost a battle cry, a call to arms – both to the public and to those in power who are failing us; subtle nuanced political commentary without over-intellectualisation. This track in particular taps into the innately primal within us all, yet is also futuristic, leaving you refreshed and inspired. It’s completely infectious, inducing the need to move, gentle and yet dominating, non-religious priest/sage/warrior all wrapped up in one.
Then we are on to ‘Talk Olympics‘ featuring Little Simz. The pair have a great symbiosis and often feature in each others work. The vocal tagline “Talk talk talk talk talk talk talk you talk too much” quite literally perfectly mimics the sound of my chickens frantically clucking when I was growing up.
‘Moon Eyes‘ is incredibly charming and the warm summer tones of the song ‘Prayer‘ before it continue on through to this track. Interesting, gentle soundscape instrumentation largely centring around a saturated guitar join a drum beat, claps, and layered vocals. Its like watching a video of someone filming their muse close-up on an old film camera; there’s something old fashioned and vintage about the feel.
‘Not In Surrender‘ is a wonderful track, that I picture over some kind of action driving scene in a movie, With more of a funk feel, there’s more of the siren-esque sounds, lots of non-verbal vocal instrumentation, ebbing and flowing with the beat. Long striking guitar chords and a groove induce a worrying long duration of shimmying. “I put my hands up, not in surrender, im getting ready to fly”, again further proclamation as to his sovereignty and groundedness.
‘Instant Animal‘ is very Midnight Oil, an Australian band going since the 1970s that are heavily centred around protest songs regarding the Aboriginals, specifically reminding me of the song ‘White Skin Black Heart.‘ This song’s lyrics reflect on being in a tight spot, losing everything, being stripped bare, but still remaining centred in the core of who you are. You’ve lost everything but you are everything, everything you need tomove forwards.
It gives imagery of our primal side, the animalistic instincts we all rely on at different points whether we like it or not. Obonghayar talks on having nothing but wanting everything, “there’s nowhere left to run, get up or get crushed, instant animal, like dreaming of a fall, look at me now I’m a killer”.
‘Born In this Body‘ is truly revolutionary, gentle in delivery and ferocious in message. “I was born in this body, I’m in love with this body”. I’ve already seen a barrage of instagram stories of children dancing to this song, and it gets me choked up writing about it now; this tall, strong, masculine embodiment of a man beautifully singing about how you shouldn’t stay small and abandon yourself or hide for others.
The lyrics comes across as truly gentle and genuine and it struck me how much I needed this kind of rhetoric growing up. It made me reflect on my own journey with my body and to be grateful for the things its carried me through. It gives people a mirror to reclamation and empowerment, seen evidently by the fact children are feeling its pull, in a world where you are taught from a young age that the way you look is either a hindrance or an advantage and that you should adapt to what is desired from you at all costs.
‘Paradise Now‘ is a journey of an album that takes you through an array of different emotions; some difficult, some buoyant, some ferocious, but all powerful and inseparable from the full palette of our human existence. The album seems to search for and display genuine confrontations of authenticity without avoidance or ego distracting from the gritty realism of the suffocating human experience. It feels like a therapy session where you can cry, scream, laugh and dance grinning ear to ear all in one sitting. I can’t wait to hear more from Obongjayar and am so glad his music is reaching more people.
Listen to ‘Paradise Now’ here:
Photography by Tula Gartmayer