Throughout the 2010s, Tekno cemented an unforgettable legacy in Afrobeats history with a string of crossover hits. His style of creating dance-ready tunes and earwormy tracks stood him out as a mastermind among his Afrobeats fellows. Combined with that rare ability to write and produce—evident by how he lent his skill and pen to records by Drake, Ciara and Davido—he established himself as an all-round sonic polymath.
Although that impressive power hit a block when he
had a vocal ailment, he gave a glimpse of his talents on his debut LP, 2020’s
Old Romance. But Tekno’s range and prowess surge to full capacity here on
2023’s The More the Better. “After I lost my voice, it’s just not been enough
music [for] my fans,” Tekno tells Apple Music. “Everyone felt I wasn’t serious
with the slow pace I was releasing music. Right now, I’m in a space where I’m
releasing as much music as possible—that’s where the [album] title comes from.”
A creative freedom spreads over The More the
Better, unpacking a rich-in-form Tekno whose buttery-smooth vocals find the
sweetest pockets of beats. The mood of the album is triumvirate, featuring
Tekno’s vivid introspection, the presence of heady dance-floor tunes and his
usual contagious takes on romance—all delivered in pidgin English. “For me,
this album is passing loads of messages to people because of the timeframe in
which we live in,” the artist born Augustine Miles Kelechi Okechukwu explains.
“Everyone just wants to move at a fast pace. No patience, no relaxation. Just
allow yourself to relax and enjoy life.”
Listen below.
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