EXCLUSIVE CONTENT > SPINALL
How SPINALL Turned Experimentation Into His Signature Sound
By Oumou Fofana • July 31, 2026
SPINALL opens up about building records around unlikely combinations, how Lagos still inspires everything he creates, and more.
Photo Credit: Asulprusia
By the time the rest of Lagos is finally quiet, SPINALL is usually still awake.
Night after night, the DJ and producer moved through the city after gigs, driving home between 4 and 5 a.m., when most people were asleep. Those moments eventually became the foundation for “When Lagos Sleeps,” his jazz-inspired EP released earlier this year. But for SPINALL, the project was never just about experimenting with sound. It was about documenting a version of his hometown that most people never get to experience.
“You would almost feel like this is a different city entirely,” he told BET. “It’s quiet. All of the street boys are in bed snoring. I feel like we humans, we pollute the world so much, and once we are out of there, it’s like you can literally see birds, finally.”
That ability to translate the environment into music has helped him become one of the most recognizable artists to emerge from Nigeria. Over the years, he has evolved from a local DJ with radio and event experience into one of Africa’s most connected creative forces, collaborating with artists including T.I., Summer Walker, 6LACK, Wizkid, Burna Boy, and Tyla while steadily pushing Afrobeats deeper into global spaces.
Still, SPINALL insists none of it was part of some master plan. “I think I realized it was a calling because I wasn't giving up on the dreams of what I wanted to do,” he recalled. “I think it became clear that I was passionate about it and I was willing to turn a hobby into a profession.”
The 42-year-old started DJing seriously after leaving university, building experience through radio stations, clubs and live events. Those years eventually shaped the foundation of his career, but producing came later — and somewhat reluctantly. “At first, you know, I never wanted to beat make,” he admitted with a laugh. “All I wanted to do was DJ, and DJing is a lot of work. I didn't want to start making beats.”
Instead, he imagines himself directing the creative process from afar, explaining ideas to producers who would execute his vision. But the disconnect became frustrating. “If I say I want green, they're sending me purple. If I say I wanted red, they're sending me black,” he explained. “So that was the moment I knew that, okay, I'm going to have to become the DJ, the producer, the beatmaker, songwriter.”
That shift eventually transformed SPINALL from someone curating records into someone shaping entire soundscapes. Even his latest project surprised him. Growing up, jazz was always around him. His parents played records from artists like John Coltrane, Alice Coltrane, and Sade throughout the house. Still, he never imagined himself making a jazz album.
That changed during a studio conversation about his production process, when he realized many of his beats were already rooted in jazz. “When you take out the drums and you take out some of the instruments played, the foundation of most of my beats is jazz,” he shared. “And during that conversation, that made me realize that.”
That realization eventually became “When Lagos Sleeps,” a project he admits might never have happened without encouragement from Epic Records executive Ezekiel “Zeke” Lewis, his managers Tolulope Sodamola and Sunday Are. “Those three people really helped the whole world see the album,” he said. “Without them, I don't think… nah.”
While the project revealed a quieter side of the artist, his career outside the studio continued to expand. Over the last few years, he has pushed Afrobeats into spaces that once felt out of reach for DJs from the continent. In 2024, the Nigerian producer made history as the first Nigerian DJ to perform a dedicated set at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. During the performance, he brought out Fireboy DML and Teni while incorporating traditional Nigerian Eyo masquerade dancers into the set.
For SPINALL, that moment was bigger than personal achievement. “It’s hope for all of the new DJs that I'm mentoring that, hey, if I did it, you could do it,” he emphasized. “Culturally it helps our ecosystem. It helps more people to find our music.”
His decision to bring out collaborators during the set was intentional. “I’m from the school of thought that, you know, what I have, what God has blessed me with, it's also so that I can bless others with it,” he said.
"I’m from the school of thought that, you know, what I have, what God has blessed me with, it's also so that I can bless others with it."
That mindset continues shaping how he approaches his career. While many artists guard opportunities closely, SPINALL talked openly about wanting his platform to help elevate others. “I would want a situation where people are able to use my platforms that I have built over the years to promote themselves,” he added. “I would love for the songs that they don't have the confidence to put out, they can come to me.”
Still, even as Afrobeats continues to reach larger audiences globally, SPINALL believed conversations about the genre had become distracted. This year’s Coachella lineup sparked debate online after featuring noticeably fewer Afrobeats acts than in previous years. Some fans questioned whether momentum in the genre was slowing. SPINALL saw it differently. “There’s a lot of good music out there,” he said. “Don't let anyone lie to you. Don't let anyone say, ‘Oh, all the songs are the same.’ That is not true.”
Instead, he believes both fans and artists need to reconnect with the music itself. “I feel like African fans are leaning into gossip more than music,” he said. “We need to go back to falling in love with music.”
He also believes African countries should invest more heavily in building major festival infrastructure across the continent instead of relying solely on validation from American stages. “I also love to see them in Lagos,” he said, referencing international artists he hopes will perform in Nigeria someday. “Justin Bieber, you have a song with Tems and Wizkid. Come and perform it here. I would love to see artists that are featured like… Zara Larsson. All these artists that are international that I've worked with, I would love to see them. Like Summer Walker, I would love her to come and perform our song in Nigeria. Nigerian government, wake up, wake up and do festivals in Nigeria.”
The same openness he wants to see across the industry also shows up in the way he makes music. Rather than chasing formulas, the producer said he’s more interested in building records that feel unexpected and personal. “I feel like my work as an artist is to bring all of my experiences into the music,” he explained.
SPINALL’s latest single, “Shaba,” featuring Mavo and alté artist Deto Black, reflects the unpredictable chemistry he often seeks in the studio. “Sometimes I have these ideas and this, but they don't work,” he admitted. “And sometimes I plan to play something for somebody else and somebody else hears it and be like, ‘What is that?’”
“I feel like my work as an artist is to bring all of my experiences into the music.”
He noted that the best records often come from artists willing to experiment and reveal sides of themselves that audiences have not seen before. “I also love bringing out a side of artists that people have not really experienced,” he said. Then, laughing at the thought of a future record bringing together some of Africa’s biggest stars, he added, “If I’m able to feature Wizkid, Davido, and Burna Boy on a song, that would be a dream come true.”
Even with an extensive résumé behind him, the DJ still sounded like someone searching for what’s next. He rattled off names ranging from Beyoncé and Travis Scott to veteran R&B artists he feels deserve renewed attention. “I’d also love to work with the OGs,” he emphasized. “Like some of the greats, the icons that we've not heard from in a minute.”
But beyond accolades, streaming numbers or festival milestones, legacy is what seemed to matter most to him now. When asked what he hopes people remember years from now, his answer came quickly: “Sacrifices.”
SPINALL spoke openly about navigating an industry without a blueprint. When he entered the scene, there were no DJs from the continent headlining festivals like Coachella, Lollapalooza or Glastonbury Festival. “We had no mentor,” he continued. “All of this is first of its kind.”
That experience is part of why he hopes African parents become more open-minded about creative careers. “I would love to leave the legacy behind for African parents to let their DJs fly, to let their kids be whatever they want to be,” he said. “A lot of parents have killed their kids’ dreams.”
Then the conversation shifted to his own journey — from earning a master’s degree in engineering to becoming one of Afrobeats’ most visible global ambassadors. “I’m grateful that they let me abandon that for this,” he laughed. “Because my dad calls me now and be like, ‘Oh, your uncle said you released one song, everybody loves it.’”
For SPINALL, that may be the clearest sign that the risk was worth it.
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