Valjae’s ‘International Local’ is a love memoir for the streets

By Emmanuel Daraloye

Valjae’s “International Local” spins off with a catchy rendition of the song’s title, which also forms a core part of the hook. The singer repeats the phrase at least thirty times across the 3-minute listen, essentially chiseling them into the listener’s memory. The phrase itself represents a category of concepts; such as false pretence of a certain lifestyle, or, more commonly, an aspirational anthem. Valjae tells the story of the former, although less critically of the lady who the song is centered on. Such witty composition boosts the memory recall of a record as mundane as Valjae’s “International Local”.

The song is composed with soothing piano chords and simple percussion that complement Valjae’s Afrobeats cadence. The song is a strong attempt at creating a feel-good record, with the song’s mid-tempo volume and soothing pace. Without Valjae’s Afrobeats’ flow, the song could easily pass for a Soul record. While Valjae’s giddy groove increases the song’s vibrance, the record’s soothing melody, sometimes, seems to overpower the record’s groove.

Around the last quarter of the song, Valjae’s cadence unfurls with a bit of spoken-word, which, for this writer, brings out the juiciest synergy between his lyricism and the song’s melody.

Valjae’s lyricism, itself, is also another low-hanging fruit of “International Local”, as the young musician sticks to his exciting usage of Yoruba, Pidgin and English language to weave a comical-yet-profound storyline.

He alludes to his lover’s charming personality, claiming to “quickly do her laundry…” and “give her steady steady” whenever she needs either, but then turning around to pontificate on her virtues, saying: “Omo woli turn Karishika/ Somethings wey I no dey understand,” which simply means that the lady in question, who should be a child of a cleric has become driven by vanity and worldly ideals. He brings out the Nigerian flavour in his choice of slang, saying phrases like “To ba shibalaba, Mo ma shibolobo,” which simply suggests a sexual encounter with the lady in question, ultimately adding comic relief to the record.

The extra audio-engineered effects such as backing vocals, as well as the opening — a softened echo of the Nigerian slang, “Shakara” — and the outro — with Valjae repeating the same phrase, although several more times and less computerized — add a depth of complexity to the song. The song might feel flat to someone with a more traditional concept of Afrobeats love songs, but with a wider understanding and appreciation of Nigerian Street-pop it definitely stands out as a child of promise. However, this writer believes that the song could have worked better as a feature, with either a female voice singing the hook or having a Street-pop rapper on the song, to add a layer of dynamism and extra groove to the record.

Valjae’s notoriety with making music that, essentially, thrives with function has driven his discography forward since his professional debut, in 2016. On “International Local”, the singer places his best foot forward yet again, with the song’s lyricism, cadence and subtle groove making it an endearing tune. However, the singer’s composition still leaves a bit of room for more experimentation, and collaborations could definitely be the remaining piece of the puzzle, if making hit songs is within the bigger picture for Valjae. A fine attempt and one that definitely has enough catharsis within to turn a stranger into a fan, Valjae’s “International Local” is a worthy addition to Afrobeats’ library of street-centric love songs.

Valjae, real name Victor Ladejobi, is a musician of Nigerian descent and based in the United Kingdom. He made his professional debut in 2016, with the song “Calling”, under the moniker Val-junior. His earliest music influences include Nigerian superstars such as M.I. Abaga, Fela Kuti, Burna Boy, among others. Over the years, he has built an authentic and exciting discography that is poised to stand the test of time.