Brief in runtime but expansive in vision, Wonderful once again showcases Tay Iwar’s ability to fuse introspection with innovation, delivering music that is at once personal, cinematic, and forward-thinking.
By Yinoluwa Olowofoyeku
Tay Iwar, born Austin Iornongu Iwar Jr., has quietly become one of Nigeria’s most distinctive singer-songwriters and producers, carving out a space where Alt-R&B, Soul, and Afro-Fusion converge. Emerging in the late 2010s, he quickly distinguished himself with a string of intimate projects, including Passport (2014), Renascentia (2016), Gemini (2019), and Love & Isolation (2021), each layering warm production with candid songwriting and emotive vocal delivery.
Over the years, he has also grown into a sought-after collaborator, lending his voice and pen to a generation of artists reshaping African pop, while retaining a singular style rooted in melody and mood. In recent years, the metamorphosis of Tay Iwar has been marked by a deeper embrace of indigenous influences, particularly his Tiv heritage, which he now weaves into his warped abstractions of R&B and Soul, bending sound and feeling in striking ways.
His new EP, Wonderful, a five-track collection arriving just months after April 2025’s Reflection Station, reflects this evolution. Here, he draws on heritage as a touchstone for introspection, infusing his signature sonic intimacy with brighter textures, experimental layers, and cultural grounding—broadening his artistic scope while continuing to hone the personal voice that has long defined his work.
“Wonderful” opens the project with a nod to nostalgia, pulling Zule Zoo into Tay Iwar’s universe from the very first beat. The track begins with the same rattling drum pattern as “Necessary”, its influence coursing through both rhythm and lyric. Interpolations such as “You, this lady, you beautiful/ How I go do, you go love me” recall the early-2000s classic, but the song soon evolves into Tay’s distinct soundworld, complete with cinematic synth breaks, intricately layered harmonies, and a rifling rock guitar that duets with his mesmeric vocals.
When he declares, “There’s no way I’m gonna let you go now/ Hey, I decided, unless you don’t want me”, his conviction sits between playful homage and heartfelt intent. He closes by circling back to Zule Zoo with an interpolated refrain: “Issa necessary/ Kwagh ne ka ken ken ah oh/ Issa necessary/ Kwagh higi sha ken ken oh”, binding past and present together in seamless motion.
“Do Your Thing” shifts the palette entirely, introducing a baile funk swing in its percussion while layering cinematic strings and airy flutes. Tay’s heavily effected vocals guide us through an evolving instrumental that morphs from creeping chords and harmonic plucks to a thumping Afrocentric rhythm built on bass kicks and sharp snares.
His delivery mirrors the fluidity of the beat, first offering smoothly sung lines of personal reflection—“I don dey analyse again/ strategize my way …No gree for them again/ That’s how I do my thing/ One thing I know, today you’re on your own and it’s okay/ Do your thing/ Time will tell anyway”, before shifting into a quickfire, low-registered cadence reminiscent of Rema, almost as though he were featuring himself. The track closes with a sampled traditional performance, grounding its modernist shape in deep roots.
“Mercy Please”, the lead single from Wonderful, opens with a cinematic guitar introduction, its lines quickly filtered into a groove of AfroSwing drums, lush pads, sweeping strings, and a warm bass synth.
Tay Iwar’s voice drifts across the arrangement in both lead and layered form, his backing vocals so densely stacked they become an instrument of their own. “It’s the way that you show them/ Some will jealous you/ For somebody who’s always inside/ You know how to come alive/ It’s the way you are/ Man, I know I’m in danger”, he sings in soft realisation. Though brief, the song overflows with sonic detail, transforming minimal writing into a textural study of layered sound.
“Find a Way” enters on jazz-house pianos interlaced with sampled vocal layers, as Tay melodically disguises desire-filled lyrics as romantic lines that dance gently over the progression: “Baby, with your overload/ I dey lose focus, baby no/ You dey cool down, and I like that/ If I don’t call, I go write back”.
Suddenly, the pianos stutter into an aggressively syncopated section, carried forward by heavy drums and expressive solos that lend the song a subtle gospel uplift. Tay mirrors this shift with melodic runs that verge on choral, his harmonies layered like a small congregation as he pleads, “The way you love, got me on the spiral/ It’s never enough, wish you stayed a while/ It’s okay my love, come back like you always do”. He closes the track with semi-rapped cadences underlined by grungy group vocals, ululating into the outro with the abandon of spiritual release.
“Next2U” closes the set on Wonderful’s most straightforward groove, its sidechained synth chords and four-to-the-floor kicks leaning into a club-ready pulse. Thumping bass synths and subtle percussion create a faint but effective top line, clearing space for Tay Iwar’s longing-filled delivery. “I swear I no go wait/ This time no be play/ Your body’s on my mind/ We’re gonna get it right”, he sings in smooth, understated tones, carrying the EP out on the promise of desire fulfilled. The track is rich yet direct, bringing Wonderful to a finish that balances Tay Iwar’s experimental leanings with accessible warmth.
When Wonderful comes to a close, it leaves the listener suspended in a kind of stunned quiet, the silence heavy with what has just unfolded. There is a familiar pattern to Tay Iwar’s recent releases—a moment where the music fades, and what remains is awe. They say there are no new ideas under the sun, yet Tay continually gives the impression of discovering hidden ones, tucked away where few thought to look.
His artistry is not about dramatic reinvention but about delving into small pockets of growth and experimentation, each project nudging his sound further along its evolution while remaining unmistakably his own.
Lyrically, Wonderful sits within the terrain Tay has long mapped out, dwelling in poetic yet unembellished reflections on love, desire, and self-discovery. With a small circle of credited co-writers, his songwriting remains transparent and intimate, more about clarity and feeling than intricate wordplay. The lines are never overwrought, and the melodies never overly ornate, which places the focus firmly on emotional resonance rather than linguistic dexterity.
As a body of work, the songs are linked sonically but less so thematically, often feeling more like a collection of sibling pieces than a fully cohesive narrative arc. Yet this is hardly the point, because for Tay the words and themes serve as vessels for the greater experiment: the sound itself.
Production becomes the true gravitational force of Wonderful. Tay may not often be listed among the continent’s celebrated producers, largely because he does not work commercially for others, but his skill and imagination are such that many in that conversation should be relieved.
The precision of his arrangements, the depth of his textures, and the way he constructs rhythm and bounce from shifting layers speak to an instinct that is second to very few. Each track moves like a living organism; constantly evolving, unveiling new sounds with every listen. The meticulous mixing and engineering that hold these dense collages together are equally impressive, balancing complexity with clarity and ensuring that no detail is lost.
His vocals, too, often slip into the production itself, woven into the fabric of the instrumentals until they become part of the rhythm and atmosphere.
As a singer, Tay Iwar continues to wield a voice that is rich, controlled, and unmistakably smooth. He avoids unnecessary theatrics, yet his range, clarity, and tone make his delivery striking in its restraint. What he chooses to emphasise instead are moments of layered harmony and stacked vocals: techniques that have become his signature and perhaps his most unique weapon.
These harmonies are not simply decorative but structural, shaping the emotional arc of the songs as much as the instrumentals themselves. It is difficult to imagine anyone else replicating this instinctive layering, as it feels so ingrained in the way he conceives music. Combined with his relentless attention to detail and creative vocal processing, the result is a sound that is lush, immersive, and distinctly his own.
All of these elements combine to make Wonderful another exhilarating entry in Tay Iwar’s catalogue. Brief in runtime but expansive in vision, Wonderful once again showcases his ability to fuse introspection with innovation, delivering music that is at once personal, cinematic, and forward-thinking. It may not be a grand departure, but it stands as proof that even within his established style, Tay Iwar continues to find new dimensions, keeping the journey endlessly fascinating.
Lyricism – 1.5
Tracklisting – 1.4
Sound Engineering – 1.8
Vocalisation – 1.7
Listening Experience – 1.6
Rating – 8.0/10
Yinoluwa “Yinoluu” Olowofoyeku is a multi-disciplinary artist and creative who finds expression in various media. His music can be found across all platforms and he welcomes interaction on his social media @Yinoluu.