919 Spotlight: Tay Iwar

OCTOBER 25, 2022

Born Austin Iornogu Iwar, Tay Iwar is a Nigerian Abuja-based singer, songwriter, sound engineer, and record producer who considers himself a pure fusion artist. His albums span different sounds with “love” being a frequent theme. His exposure to music began when his parents made him take classical piano lessons as they wanted all their children to have knowledge of classical music. Tay Iwar started making music at 14 after being introduced to Fruity Loops software by a classmate and released his debut project Passport at 16 in 2013 in collaboration with his brother Suté Iwar, who is also a musical artiste. Tay Iwar along with his brothers Suté and Terna co-founded Bantu Collective, a media company of creatives and artistes based in Abuja.

Tay Iwar was born in Lagos but moved to Abuja at a young age where he spent most of his life, for him Abuja is home. He was considered to be a bit of a recluse with a mysterious brand but said this was due to him first gaining popularity in Lagos while being in boarding school in Abuja. In April 2017, he released his LP Renascentia and in 2019 his debut full length album Gemini was released under LA label Soulection. His most recent EP Love & Isolation (2021) is a beautifully written story of love amidst isolation. Tay Iwar has expressed feeling pressure to make his sound more commercial in order to appeal to the Nigerian audience but has chosen to stay true to his sound. He said “Music is beyond Nigeria. It's beyond Lagos, it's beyond Abuja. It's beyond any of that. I've always seen it as that and I don't think it's ever going to change.” This statement is similar to Vrede’s global mission of connecting Africans worldwide. As a Tiv boy making R&B music in Nigeria he is determined to stick to what he knows is true to him and this is what his fans love about him.

We were able to spend some time with Tay Iwar in London and got some excellent photos of him in our Collection I looks.