2020, the year everything got to a standstill was also the period that cushioned the world into a new dawn with the music space witnessing an influx of notable budding talents. Nigeria’s Yugo happens to be one of the breakout stars discovered by Recording Academy member, Richardine Bartee.
Born Ugochukwu Mgbeoji, Yugo in a recent conversation with the GRAMMY U Mentor, shared his background, personal story and an insight into his forthcoming album dubbed, “YUGO SZN”.
For starters who wonder about the mystery behind the name “Yugo”, the Afrobeats act highlighted that he coined his name from his forename “Ugochukwu” which denotes “God’s Glory”.
“My native name is Ugochukwu or “Ugo” for short and it means “God glory” in the Igbo language. Then I added a capital ‘Y’ to the short form to make it unique and distinct from the rest and that’s how we birthed the name Yugo,” he shared.
Yugo’s inspiration has always been God’s Glory as he deems himself “a walking testimony of God’s love & grace and His work. The name is me claiming that title as a testimony of God’s glory,” he added.
Retelling his background story, the raging star reiterated the impact Lagos had on his life growing up in the Nigerian city. He indicated that the “hustlers- borough” instilled in him hardwork and dedication
“If there’s one thing it’s taught me is to always work hard, never stop working, never give up. You can feel the struggle of the everyday person when you wake up in the morning and you see the bus drivers and traders already active in the wee hours of the morning. That just motivates me to never stop and to always go hard,” he added.
If there was something apart from his unique music style that fans love about him, then it is his admirable accent. Revealing where he unearthed his twang he hilariously remarked, “that’s what you get when you attend a high-end primary school in Nigeria.”
“Some of my relatives aren’t Nigerian and I think spending time with them growing up contributed to me having an accent, but one of the heavy factors that influenced the way I speak is the school I went to. I attended Nazareth school in Festac Town, Lagos. People that went to Nazareth can attest to this. Everywhere you went from the library to the staff room everyone was sounding different, so being in that environment for 6 years at the development stage just rubbed off on me,” he added.
Leaping on to when the music started for him, Yugo disclosed he randomly wrote a song for his childhood crush during his basic education and for him that sparked his craft as he could express his feelings effortlessly through music – eventually fusing adorable dance moves, he recognizes himself as the “African Micheal Jackson”.
“After looking at the lyrics, I discovered that I was able to tell my story, express my feelings through the music and I decided to keep on improving on the craft. At a point I also incorporated dancing alongside making music so I was dancing and singing kinda like Micheal Jackson but an African version.”
With regards to the essence of music, “Therapy” best suits the crux of Yugo’s music style as he reiterates that his music comes across as relatable to fans, “consoling and a whole lotta different vibes.”
Through his impressive journey in the music world, he has been admired not only by music lovers but fellow acts as he featured on a recent smash hit “Hours” with Bella Alubo, Osa Zele and Rebel Rae.
Recounting how the feature occurred, Yugo shared gratitude to his manager who made created history for the blistering star.
“Yo you know what to do. I need you to kill it and send this back in 48 hours. That was the message I got from my manager and the rest is history. So big shout-out to Osa Zele, Bella Alubo & Rebel Rae. They did an amazing job on the song.”
Excited about his upcoming project release, “YUGO SZN”, Yugo promises to keep the momentum with many who have been intrigued with his music thus far. For him, this project depicts his music evolution.
”It would be my first mainstream project. I released a mixtape called “RHAPSODEEP” on Audiomack sometime last year, but this new EP is really really special. The YUGOSZN-EP introduces my sound to the whole world, how he tells his story, the intimacy in the lyrical composition, the different energies, the different SZNs.”
Talking of surprises and spoilers on “YUGO SZN”, the breakout star furthered, “I got a banger with one of the top African artists on the EP and I can’t wait for you guys to hear it.”
Like a blistering star, Yugo is utterly vested on radiating his flames and rising through God’s Glory as he aspires to be the most successful young artiste on the planet.
