Following the release of his new single, London-based Afro-fusion artist PapaRaZzle talks turning patience into a pulse, the faith behind his sophomore album, and balancing imperfect reality with unwavering hope.

In a moment obsessed with instant gratification, PapaRaZzle makes patience feel magnetic. ‘The Wait’, the lead single from his sophomore album Do You Believe In Soulmates? (Vol 1), out September 26, arrives as the final revealed chapter before the full story lands, and it leans into the ache and optimism of holding on. Written and arranged by PapaRaZzle with production from longtime collaborator HBEATPRO, the track glides on a warm, unhurried groove, letting space, pocket, and melody do the heavy lifting while his vocal threads intimacy through every line. It sits where imperfect reality rubs against unwavering belief, the tension he puts plainly: life happens, expectations fray, and yet hope keeps its nerve. Framed by earlier teasers ‘You And Me,’ ‘Healer,’ and ‘Baby Blue Jeans’, releases that nudged him past half a million monthly listeners, ‘The Wait’ plants the album’s emotional flag: late-night, slow-burn devotion that asks big questions without forcing neat answers.

 

That balance has become the London-based Nigerian’s calling card. Fans might hear shades of Wizkid, Burna Boy, Rema or Fireboy DML in the palette, but the fingerprints are distinctly PapaRaZzle: conversational hooks that linger, arrangements that breathe, and a genre-fluid sensibility sharpened on stages from London to sold-out rooms in Paris and Istanbul. His Afro-fusion has travelled in surprising arcs, from iTunes R&B Top 10s in Poland and Belgium, to Shazam chatter in Malawi, proof that these tender songs connect well beyond postcode or playlist. As Volume 1 poses its central question, destiny, daily choice, or something in between?, PapaRaZzle invites listeners to slow the tempo and lean in. In our conversation, we get into the sting and the release baked into his lyrics, the push-pull of his partnership with HBEATPRO, and how you make a patient song irresistible in a swipe-fast world.

‘The Wait’ is described as the final revealed chapter before the album lands. Where does it sit in the arc of Do You Believe In Soulmates? (Vol 1), what happens emotionally before it, and what does it leave unresolved on purpose?

‘The Wait’ sonically brings vintage Afro sounds to the album, and emotionally, it brings nostalgia. It paints a picture of differences in expectations between lovers, hope for a resolution, and hope that love will, maybe this time, win. It stays unresolved as that’s the reality of life. Time will provide answers. Or not.

You’ve said the song lives in the tension between imperfect reality and unwavering belief. When you listen back, which lyric still stings a little, and which line feels like the release?

The line that stings would be, “you say I do not love you enough. Baby it’s not me, it’s the weight on my shoulder,” and the line that feels like the release would be: “Is it so hard to be with me? If you love me, you’d do it easily.”

You wrote and arranged the track, with HBEATPRO on production. What did each of you protect at all costs in the record, and where did you deliberately push each other out of your comfort zones?

This track was a reunion, as we hadn’t worked together for a while. So, when he sent me the instrumental, it came at a time when I had heightened emotions within myself, and it allowed me to pour my mind out. It was perfect. We were in agreement with everything.

Patience is at the heart of ‘The Wait.’ In a swipe-fast era, how do you make a slow-burn song feel irresistible rather than passive, and what musical choices (tempo, percussion, vocal phrasing) carried that idea?

This one came together naturally, to be honest. Quickly, too, like it had to. I always see myself as a vessel, and when I receive a message in the form of music, I have to fulfil my purpose and put it out there for the world. So, my process is usually not super premeditated, and this certainly wasn’t.

Fans often connect you to names like Wizkid, Burna Boy, Rema, and Fireboy DML. What aspects of your palette do you feel are most distinctly PapaRaZzle, even when you’re swimming in the same wider afro-fusion current?

I’m telling my story. As I walk my path, it serves as the foundation for my music, and I’m telling these stories to whoever can relate.

The album title asks a big question: Do you believe in soulmates? Right now, is your answer about destiny, daily choice, or something in between, and how does Volume 1 frame that without giving the whole philosophy away?

I think it’s everything you’ve mentioned. When you find a connection in another person, and that person finds it in you, and it remains, it’s consistent. That’s what a soulmate feels like to me. There are people with whom we connected to on deep levels, and they accompany us on our journey, and we do the same for them. Vol 1 covers all that to an extent, and the story will continue with future volumes.

‘You And Me,’ ‘Healer,’ and ‘Baby Blue Jeans’ helped lift your monthly listeners and set the tone. With hindsight, what did each teaser teach you about your audience, and how did those lessons shape ‘The Wait’ and the album sequence?

The support has been surreal. It feels like I’ve found my people around the world. My soulmates, haha. The music connects us, and now, our journeys are intertwined.

Your story stretches from Nigeria to London, from intimate rooms to sold-out shows in Paris and Istanbul. How has performing across different cities changed the way you arrange or deliver these very tender songs on stage?

I’d say it’s going to change some more moving forward. The songs are tender and will need a level of intimacy in the shows for them to be felt. So I’m working on delivering just that on my upcoming tour.

Your tracks have found traction in unexpected places, including Top 10s in Poland and Belgium, Shazam buzz in Malawi. When you see that kind of scatter across the map, what does it tell you about how far afro-fusion has evolved – and where you want to take it next?

I think the sound is global. And when rooted in emotional experiences which we all have as humans, there’s no limit to how far it will go, God willing.

If you could give listeners one instruction before they press play on Do You Believe In Soulmates? (Vol 1), a setting, a mindset, a time of night, what would it be, and why?

On a rainy day at home, on a drive, when you’re taking a walk… anywhere you can be locked in and really listen and feel everything. 

Listen to 'The Wait' now: