Each track on Agaba Romantic demonstrates their ability to navigate different moods without ever losing the throughline of their shared musical identity.
By Abioye Damilare Samson
Since first linking up on “Loner (Alone)” in early 2024, Wizard Chan and Joeboy have nurtured a deep, intuitive musical chemistry that feels like a collaboration written in the stars. The record, which later appeared on Wizard Chan’s debut EP The Messenger, introduced a partnership defined by melodic sensitivity and emotional clarity. By 2025, their continued appearances on each other’s projects, Viva Lavida and Healers Chapel, further solidified the richness of their creative synergy, hinting at the promise of a more expansive joint body of work.
Now, fully leaning into that chemistry, the duo arrive with Agaba Romantic, a collaborative EP that also features Braye and Qing Madi. It is a project shaped by a shared instinct for crafting emotionally resonant soundscapes. The timing of this joint EP, Agaba Romantic, feels especially fitting. It arrives at a moment when collaboration is becoming a defining current in Afro-Pop, with artistes increasingly pooling their strengths to create cohesive, cross-pollinated projects. From Nsikak David’s work with Show Dem Camp and The Cavemen on No Love in Lagos, to Fireboy DML and Pheelz’s Peace Be With You, and the recent Wizkid and Asake joint effort Real Vol. 1, the culture is tilting toward collective expression.
The EP kicks off with the romantic ballad “Fall Back To Your Arms”, featuring Braye. The track, rooted in Folk-inspired rhythms, opens with a percussive slap and a slow tempo that frames Wizard Chan’s angelic vocals against choral backup. The vocal interplay between Wizard Chan and Braye blurs the line between their voices, both capturing the push and pull of love with delicate precision. Joeboy complements the final verse with multilingual flair, blending French phrases like “Je m’appelle le monsieur Lavida” with Nigerian Pidgin expressions such as “If you no dey my body dey one kind”.
On the mid-tempo, Pon-Pon beat-inspired “100 Meters”, the mood shifts to perhaps the most exhilarating moment on the EP. The duo sing about being captivated by a woman’s beauty, their smooth flows gliding over a guitar-driven rhythm peppered with solos and a catchy bassline.
The Prestige-produced “Woman” channels the rhythmic spirit of early-2000s Galala-infused instrumentals, brushing against Dancehall influences. Joeboy commands the track with the infectious hook, “Woman no woman no cry/ Papi dey with you for life”, a nod to Bob Marley’s 1974 Reggae classic “No Woman, No Cry”. Wizard Chan injects further energy with his Rastafarian-inflected verse by riding the drum-led beat in a performance that becomes the song’s captivating highlight.
Romantic obsession continues to shine on “Love Sick Crazy”, featuring Qing Madi. This Reggae-inspired track is propelled by a resonant bass guitar and warm saxophone, crafting a soundscape that is soulful and tender. Qing Madi delivers the song’s most gripping moments with raw vulnerability, her voice conveying the hopeless ache of love as she sings: “E no get anywhere you wan go/ Cause you belong nowhere but with me (ya know)/ And that is beyond my control/ I lose my soul anytime I picture life without you”.
After the pre-released, emotionally charged “Loner (Alone)”, Agaba Romantic moves into “Lazarus”, a track that continues the duo’s evolving narrative. Rooted in Gyration music, “Lazarus” layers gong, bell, and trumpet solos, creating a lively soundscape that reflects the musical energy of Port Harcourt, Wizard Chan’s hometown. The conscious-leaning song is also a remarkable feat of motivational storytelling, showcasing Wizard Chan’s signature ability to inspire, a quality that has been present across his earlier works.
Agaba Romantic closes with “Forever”, which fuses personal storytelling with hustle-driven ambition. From the opening lines, “I’m never losing sha / Do it for the love of the music”, Joeboy establishes a mindset rooted in perseverance and self-belief. The hook, elevated by a choral backing, adds a sense of depth and resolution, giving the EP a fittingly uplifting and reflective conclusion.
Agaba Romantic is a confident, fully realised project. Across its seven tracks, Wizard Chan and Joeboy reveal sonic compatibility and a shared emotional language built on romantic longing and an instinctive feel for melody, exploring folk, Pon-Pon, Reggae, Afro-Pop, and Galala influences across distinct songs to create a cohesive narrative of love, desire, and personal growth.
Each track on the EP demonstrates their ability to navigate different moods, whether it’s the tender vulnerability of Fall Back To Your Arms, the gyrating energy of Lazarus, or the introspective drive of Forever, without ever losing the throughline of their shared musical identity.
The features, too, are deployed with care. Braye’s ethereal presence on “Fall Back To Your Arms” and Qing Madi’s aching vulnerability on “Love Sick Crazy” serve as a natural extension of the project’s emotional core that deepens the narrative.
At its core, Agaba Romantic EP succeeds as a creative and cultural statement. It is a love letter, not just to romance in the literal sense, but to the kind of artistic kinship that produces something greater than the sum of its parts. In a season where Afro-Pop’s most exciting conversations are happening between collaborators, Wizard Chan and Joeboy have made a compelling case for why their partnership deserves to be part of that conversation, and why—if this EP is anything to go by—the best of what they can create together may still be ahead.
Lyricism – 1.5
Tracklisting – 1.5
Sound Engineering – 1.5
Vocalisation – 1.6
Listening Experience – 1.7
Rating – 7.8/10
Abioye Damilare Samson is a music journalist and culture writer focused on the African entertainment industry. His works have appeared in Afrocritik, Republic NG, NATIVE Mag, Newlines Magazine, The Nollywood Reporter, Culture Custodian, 49th Street, and more. Connect with him on Twitter and IG: @Dreyschronicle