Interview: BNXN And Sarz Want To Soundtrack Your Summer

There is a collaborative streak that runs through the professional lives of BNXN and Sarz. Both artist and producer understand the utility of collaborations as a tool for broadening their musical horizons and treading new paths for others coming after them. That belief is levelling up the listening experience is, in part, what inspired their new joint extended play, ‘The Game Needs Us.’ “We wanted to have a little bit of difference, in terms of what was coming out,” BNXN told Apple Music’s Africa Now Radio. “We felt like it was important to tap into that diversity.”

Moving fluidly between Soul, Calypso, and Alt-Pop influences,  ‘The Game Needs Us’ sees both BNXN and Sarz range forward for what could be next in Afropop. The result is gems like “Back Outside,” “Emotional High,” and “Frank Sinatra”  that captures the synergy between both acts and lays down a gauntlet for Afropop’s immediate future. 

This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.   

What was the ambition for ‘The Game Needs Us?’

There’s been a whole lot of talk around the whole Afrobeats scene. It’s a little up, it’s a little down, so you know there’s highs and lows. Considering the state that we are in right now, there’s a lot more that we need to put out. There’s a lot more diversity we need to exhibit. Everybody’s looking like, “Okay, fine, what’s coming next?” You know, us jumping on Amapiano beats or like House beats and trying to keep on making the same type of vibes that we’ve been on for the past two or three years. That’s not to say that it’s not amazing and we don’t do it nicely and well enough, but it’s like some people were very stuck on the Afrobeats sound. Some people just like it and we wanted to have a little bit of difference, in terms of what was coming out.  We felt like it was important to tap into that diversity.

What’s it like working with Sarz?

Sarz is one of the most prolific and most diverse producers in the world. We felt that it was important to try and experiment with sounds that weren’t [not] necessarily out, but sounds that weren’t at the forefront. We wanted to experiment with sounds that we definitely felt like could make a difference. You know, give people a little bit of “Ah, what is that?” or, you know, “Who made that?” That’s literally the core of the entire project. It’s not even a project where we actually want you to go love everything on there. We want you to find your song and run with it.  Look at someone like Tyla, you can tell that she’s South African, but she likes to show you diversity. It’s like, “Okay fine, [I’m] a global citizen and I can move like that. That’s the kind of aura that we’re coming with on this one. We’re trying to show you that we can play in every field it’s possible. ‘The Game Needs Us’ is as it states. 

How did “Rum & Soda” come about?

It’s [about] people that meet for the first time and feed off each other so much that when they leave, you’re almost like, “Damn, you’re leaving with a version that I feel like I contributed to.” Imagine someone taking my freak that I built brick by brick, but I get it. It’s more like, this person wasn’t really hospitable when I met them. The person probably didn’t know how to communicate, wasn’t really confident in themselves, probably didn’t know how to dress, and probably didn’t know how to style. You know, when a woman meets you and turns up your dress style and your style and your sense, it hurts differently when you leave. That’s what “Rum & Soda” is pretty much about. It’s literally just missing your favorite other and just watching them be with somebody else and it’s like you can’t do anything but just watch.

How was “Back Outside” made?

I wanted something different, and the crazy thing is we started off nicely. When I got into LA, Sarz had changed the beat. He had changed it into something rough. It was more like, it’s just the beat and then my verse comes in, the beat plays again and then the hook. Sarz is like, “I feel like we need more vocal action.” And then I’m like, “I think I have the right chant.” So he starts recording on his phone and then I’m singing and he stops and he’s like, “What the f***? What are you saying?” I’m like, “I don’t even know what I’m saying.” So, he goes, “You know what, we’re going to the studio tomorrow.” We went to the studio the next day and voilà. So, after I’d recorded the chant, I said we need people to chorus it. Sarz says he has the perfect kid choir to handle that in Nigeria and he ran with it. I just wrote the lyrics down and sent it to him and he sent it over to the kids. They recorded it and he arranged it, converted our voices into flutes and that’s what brought the song alive. I’m so proud and happy.

Where did the inspiration for the chant come from?

The interpolation is from Amadou & Mariam. They’re like a legendary duo from Mali, and what’s amazing is they’re blind. So, they can’t really see but all the other senses are 1000%. Rest in peace to Amadou, he died in 2024 but Mariam is still alive and hopefully I get to meet her. African music is so deep and diverse that I could interpolate something like that. It’s even a tiny bit of the entire chant itself but now we’ve made something extremely important out of that and I’m really grateful.

How did “Emotional High” come about?

[This song is proof] of why it’s good to work with people that push you. Would I really want to just go falsetto on everybody like that? Not really. But I’m in the studio with Sarz, I’m in the studio with Nasri. Nasri is someone that’s written for the likes of Chris Brown and so many other artists. He’s an amazing artist and producer. He was the lead singer of Magic!, the band that sang  “Rude.” So, we’re in his house, and I’m recording “Emotional High,” and he’s like, “Sing like, take it up.” I’m like, “I don’t have that voice,” and he’s like, “Come on man, you can do it.” It just worked out.

What “Frank Sinatra” is about

That’s my jam. This is just me trying to be plain and be real with somebody that I really love or I really feel for and I do not want to lose. Imagine you get to rekindle a relationship with somebody that you probably did something bad. But every other time that it’s going good, they start reminding you of the bad thing you did or the mistake you made before. It’s almost like they haven’t forgiven you but they told you they have, and it’s really not a good feeling because it’s like, yes I want you, but I don’t want you to always torment me with that time that I wasn’t 100% here. That’s what “Frank Sinatra” is really about.

What do you want your fans to take away from this project?

I don’t necessarily want you to feel like this is a project where you need to take in as a whole. Every song kind of has its feeling, has its emotion, has its reason, you know. I want people to eat to this, shower to this, and drive to this. You might hear “Back Outside” in the club, but if you’re in the gym, play “Already.” If you’re feeling good, having a good time with friends, play like “Emotional High.” If you just want a calm nice night, you know, play “Rum & Soda” and “Frank Sinatra.” This is music for summer literally, so it captures every activity you could probably think that could happen in summer, every one of them. Find your tune, find your soundtrack and keep it running.

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