Phaemous and DJames join forces on BOUNDARIES EP

Written by Phaemous and produced by DJames, the five-track collection was crafted between Lagos and London, and merges primary R&B soundscapes and melodies with minimalist Afrobeats sensibilities.

BOUNDARIES sees the pair exploring themes around love and relationships, from first-date jitters and expectations and being ghosted by a crush to searching for how best to show love and affection, and expressing how to feel about a love interest.

The project opens with ‘MIA’ on which Phaemous laments about how his love interest has fled from him over DJames’ melodious saxophone arrangements, while the ‘What Is Love?’, driven by captivating drum patterns, questions whether all we really want is love or money.

Elsewhere on the EP, things take a sexier turn with ‘First Time’ and its jazzy keyboards and racy lyrics, before the offering closes out with the sensual ‘Dreaming’, which reveals more saxophone arrangements and keyboard elements.

Speaking about the inspiration behind BOUNDARIES, Phaemous said: “The entire project is inspired by the love that DJames and I both have for R&B as well as Afrobeats, which is why we were able to infuse both genres to deliver such a satisfying listening experience. We wanted a chance to show our versatility, and I believe we did just that.”

DJames said. “As a DJ and producer, I love discovering new talent, so working with Phaemous is so exciting for me. I spotted his talent and thought this project would be the perfect opportunity to showcase what we could do together.”

With more than 2 million streams already under his belt, Phaemous is a new and exciting R&B prospect coming out of Nigeria in 2023, while DJames is an international DJ and producer who has worked with the likes of Drake and The Weeknd. He is set to headline his first London concert this August, after a busy summer schedule in Canada, Germany, Finland and the Caribbean. Phaemous, on the other hand, is putting the finishing touches to his sophomore solo EP Phæway Vol. 2, which is due for release at the end of the year.