Tim Lyre is an artist who thrives in duality, equally at home in quiet moments of reflection as he is under the glare of stage lights. When he’s not crafting genre-defying music, he’s soaking in life with his inner circle, embracing the highs and lows that fuel his art. He’s not afraid to mine the messy stuff, loss, love, the weight of Lagos life, and spin it into gold. One minute he’s crafting high-energy anthems you’d blast with the windows down; the next, he’s dissecting heartache with a surgeon’s precision. “It’s all about balance,” he says. “Life isn’t just one mood, so why should music be?”
From his early days immersed in gospel and highlife to his later love affair with R&B and rap, Lyre’s sound is a mosaic of influences, yet distinctly his own, “…I’d say I’m inspired by all of these different styles. I try to take what makes sense where I can to create my sound.”
“Spiral” marks his most expansive work yet, born from a period of upheaval—loss, heartbreak, and the chaos of Lagos life—but also resilience. “It’s all in there—the anger, the hope, even the songs that sound like a party,” he admits. “I didn’t know if I was spiraling up or down. I just knew I had to be honest.”
In a conversation with iMullar, Tim Lyre opens up about the philosophy behind “Spiral”, why he rejects mainstream pressures on African creatives, and how his music became a lifeline. Whether he’s channeling Lagos’ grit or London’s eclectic energy, one thing remains constant: Tim Lyre’s commitment to making you “feel” every note.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
Who’s Tim Lyre when he’s not in the studio or on stage under the bright lights?
I’m very chill. I hang with my people and try to enjoy and experience life as best as I can.
What inspired your musical style? What were some of the influences you had growing up?
Growing up in church, my earliest memories of music are gospel music, and around the house we had some highlife and afrobeats playing usually. As I got older I got into R&B and Rap and just started expanding my tastes as it were but I’d say I’m inspired by all of these different styles. I try to take what makes sense where I can to create my own sound.
Your music often weaves personal storytelling with broader cultural narratives. What’s the most unexpected life moment that’s shaped a song or project, and how did it challenge your creative process?
I wouldn’t wanna go into too much detail so it doesn’t feel so sad but dealing with loss changed my perspective on a lot of things and the older I got and the more I made music, I felt it was necessary to tell the personal stories especially because as human beings we mostly feel the same things even if circumstances are different and it can be comforting to hear or see someone who’s feeling the same thing as you are at any given moment. So I make it a point to be as honest and vulnerable as I can when I’m making music because I want you to feel it as deeply as I do.
Your work often touches on themes of individuality versus societal pressure. If you could rewrite one societal “rule” that young African creatives face, what would it be, and how would it change the alté movement?
I would say don’t always follow the crowd cause the crowd is rarely what is meant for you. A lot of young and up-and-coming artists tend to lose their individuality because of the pressure to be a “mainstream” act as it were and because of that, I feel a lot of people kind of get lost in the crowd so to speak. We can’t all create the same things and that’s okay, Be yourself and don’t apologise for it.
You are set to release your new album, “Spiral”. What’s one specific moment or emotion in your life that became the seed for this album’s narrative, and how does it thread through the 16 tracks?
I had started ruminating on the idea after the release of my first album “Worry <“. A lot more doors opened for me figuratively speaking and it felt like a pivotal moment in my artist journey and I was on such a high post-release but over time, life started coming at me a lot faster than I expected. I lost a friend with whom I used to play in a band, also I was in a long-term situation with a significant other that ended abruptly around the same time. Economically things in Nigeria were not so good at the time either and honestly, the economy isn’t any better now even though I’m in a slightly better place personally. I lost touch with people I regarded as close friends for one reason or the other, amongst other things and so it started to feel like things were out of my control. I tried to go back to what I know and just slow it down and get my thoughts out in the studio and so these 16 tracks that made it onto the album best represent all my experiences and feelings over that period. The result is “Spiral”, its feelings of loss, hope, love, and joy. There’s a bit of angst and frustration in there somewhere but it felt like I had been spiraling and I didn’t know if it was a good or bad thing at the time but I’m glad I got these songs out because I genuinely believe it’s the best music I’ve made so far.
Singles like “Rocketship” and “SKI” lean into high-energy vibes, while “Storytime” with BINA. is raw and introspective. How did you balance these contrasting energies in “Spiral” to tell a cohesive story, and what was the hardest track to fit into the puzzle?
Like I mentioned earlier, it’s really about making people feel and so a lot of the time, I go off of my gut and how the sounds make me feel and try to find the best way to tell the story around these different feelings. At that point, it’s more just tweaking and rearranging until the right balance is found. Honestly, none of the tracks were difficult to fit in, if anything because I had recorded so many songs in the process of making the album, it was hard deciding the songs that made it onto the final tracklist.
The tracklist for “Spiral” includes collaborations with artists like Show Dem Camp, MOJO AF, and Manana. What was the most unexpected creative spark that emerged from one of these studio sessions, and how did it reshape a song’s direction?
There are some incredible features on the album for sure. These are artists I enjoy listening to and respect their craft so it’s a blessing to be able to work with any of them. The most unexpected one for a lot of people would probably be Joshua Baraka. We met up at a studio in London at some point last year and I was blown away by just how musical he is. He had a lot of good input on the arrangement of the song, ideas for production, and vocal production as well which elevated the song by the time it was all done. I’m very excited for people to hear the song we made.
Lagos, Accra, and London are key creative hubs for “Spiral”. How did moving between these cities influence your sonic choices, and is there a track that feels like a love letter to one of these places?
A lot of the time it’s the people in these places that make the experience worthwhile and so I draw my inspiration and energy from the people around me. I don’t think my process changes that much based on location but the feels are most definitely different and so I try to represent that in the music. I can give you one for each city, “Villagio” with MOJO AF, I started writing while I was in Accra so it is in a way dedicated to that city. “Economy” with Show Dem Camp is dedicated to my glorious incomparable home, Lagos, and for London, I would say “Rocketship” cause it came out of one of the first sessions I had for the album while I was in London a couple of years ago.
What personal or philosophical idea of a “Spiral” are you exploring through this project, and how does it connect to your evolution since “Masta” or “Worry <“?
I had this conversation with a friend and a spiral is not necessarily a good thing in the traditional sense of the word. For a lot of people, they see spiral and immediately think downward spiral but I chose the name because for me it represents an unravelling of the self which leads to growth, expansion, and evolution. For people who’ve been with me since “Worry <“, it’s us growing up together and experiencing change but still staying true to who we are so as usual I do a bit of genre-bending but this is a lot more expansive than ever. I’m just talking about a lot more than I have in the past and so I hope people can relate to that.
You released six tracks ahead of “Spiral”, including “All Night” with BOJ and “Better4U” with Manana. How did you decide which songs to share early to set the tone for the album, and is there a deeper cut you’re most excited for fans to discover?
For this, it’s a joint effort between me and my people at Outer South. We tried to pick the songs that could portray the narrative best in anticipation of the album itself. Honestly, I think the outro “WAY/2/ME” is something my listeners haven’t necessarily heard from me before so I’m excited for that. Also, I’m rapping quite a bit on this project so I’m very excited for that too.
If you could transport a listener into the exact headspace you were in while creating “Spiral”, what would they feel, see, or hear around you?
You will feel almost every emotion imaginable but you will find your center within all the chaos and the result will be so beautiful and every sound will bring you joy and comfort.
With the release of your new album, what are your plans for 2025 and what are you excited for fans to look out for?
I’ve got a headline show in London at the Camden Assembly on September 25th which I’m looking forward to. Planning to perform the album later in the year as well in Lagos and hopefully get to tour some of it. We’ve got some visuals coming in as well to keep things moving so I’m excited for what’s to come for sure.
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