Nigeria’s Skales releases third solo album in four years

To celebrate, he treated media, music enthusiasts and fans to a listening session the night before at Hard Rock Cafe, Lagos.

The event was presented by Baseline Music and supported by Hennessy and other brands. The session was started off with performances by upcoming acts and the commanding presence of hypeman Shody. Popular media personality Olisa Adibua was the host for the evening.

Besides his solo performance of songs from the album, Skales spoke about moving to Lagos and finding his feet. He then performed ‘Baddest Boy’ with Banky W, head of Skales former label EME, which has transitioned from being a record label. The media had speculated that his departure was acrimonious, but that story was deflected by the night’s performance.

“Skales is the definition of never say never. If there could be an award for the most improved artist over time, then Skales would win,” Banky W said.

Commenting about the event on social media, Skales said: “The Mr Love album is out now my people....thank you to everyone that worked on this album with me.”

Since appearing on the EME compilation album Empire Mates State of Mind in 2012, Skales has released three solo studio albums along with several singles. His first album, Man of the Year, was released in 2015. His sophomore, The Never Say Never Guy, was released last year.

Celebrities who attended the listening party event include Phyno, Burna Boy, Banky W, Sound Sultan, Praiz, Aramide, Mayorkun, CDQ, Jaywon, L.A.X, Yung L and DJ Jimmy Jatt.

The 16 tracker Mr Love album covers pop, rap and soul music, and features Ghana’s Sarkodie, Rwanda's Neza, Tanzania’s Vanessa Mdee and South Africa's Cassper Nyovest. The album, says an official statement, “is influenced by dance culture”.

The album title, Skales has said, was inspired by family. "The first person I experienced true love from was my mother," he said. "Now I understand the meaning of unconditional love. This album is a compilation of what love means to me in different aspects of my life."

To purchase Mr Love, visit iTunes