Wayne Snow isn’t here to play it safe. His new era tears up the rulebook, fusing raw, offbeat energy with a deep-rooted sense of self. Drawing on the irreverent spirit of artists like Tierra Whack and Tyler the Creator, he’s carved out a sound that’s jagged, unpredictable, and entirely his own.
Wayne Snow isn’t here to play it safe. His new era tears up the rulebook, fusing raw, offbeat energy with a deep-rooted sense of self. Drawing on the irreverent spirit of artists like Tierra Whack and Tyler the Creator, he’s carved out a sound that’s jagged, unpredictable, and entirely his own.
Born in Nigeria and raised on Fela Kuti, King Sunny Ade, and Marvin Gaye, Wayne’s vision of Afrofuturism has changed over the years. All of this was swirled into the self-assured statement of artistic freedom that was his debut album on Tartelet Records. Vibrant and eclectic, Freedom TV effortlessly combined a plethora of genres and won deserved plaudits from the likes of Clash,
MOJO, The Fader, Vice, Boiler Room, and influential tastemaker Gilles Peterson. Buoyed by the record’s success, Wayne Snow continued to develop his artistry, working with FKJ, Tom Misch,
Folamour, Neue Graffik, Noah Slee, and regular collaborator Darius with whom he released gold- certified track ‘Equilibrium’. His songs have been released via iconic imprints like Brownswood, Dekmantel, and Rhythm Section.
The Figurine LP, released by Roche Musique in 2021, was produced together with Crayon, Nu Guinea, Jan (Brandt Brauer Frick) and featured acclaimed future-jazz artist Oscar Jerome. There was an undeniable warmth to the album, one that combined a contemporary take on the sun kissed, soulful vibes of his homeland with neo-soul, alternative pop, soultronica, and jazz. It was this album for which Wayne stepped up to the COLORS stage to deliver a breathtaking live performance of the album title track. His project has received critical acclaim from NPR Music, which listed Figurine amongst its list of the best tracks of the year, and BBC R6 Music, in which he achieved Album of the Day. He also received coverage in The Evening Standard, Vogue, BBC Radio 1 + 6 Music, Le Monde, Clash, The Vinyl Factory, France Inter, Notion, Afropunk, It’s Nice That, and L’Obs amongst many others.
Figurine was an integral part of his musical journey, a quest to shape sounds and express his vision of the future. Like Sun Ra before him, his goal is expansion – to situate his art on a different plane altogether, and to explore how music can inform the mind.
In that vein, his vision of Afrofuturism has shifted. No longer smooth or dreamy – it’s defiant, chaotic, and deeply personal. This is soul music reprogrammed for the strange, electric present. His upcoming album Snowdome (2025) is his loudest, boldest, most direct and unfiltered raw expression to date, accompanied by incredible visuals from long time collaborator Travys Owen.
