Nigerian singer-songwriter Llona has released his new album On The Road, a project built from the stories and reflections gathered during a landmark 25-city tour of Nigeria. The full-length arrives as a tender, inward-looking chronicle that contrasts with the restlessness of life on the road.
A Journal of the Journey
Llona, born Michael Ajuma Attah, describes the album as a journal of a surreal period. “There were things I learned on the road that I jotted down on the album,” he said. “Some things happened in my life since Homeless that are a story now.”
The tour, undertaken after his 2024 album Homeless, took him by bus to cities rarely visited by Nigerian artists. The experience shifted his perspective. “It made me realize that Nigeria is actually beautiful,” he said. “It made me see the landscape, the mountains, the very amazing people. Everywhere I traveled to was like a homecoming. It also made me see how politics is destroying us and stopping us from fully enjoying our country.”
From Rapper to Storyteller
Llona’s path to this project was not linear. He first performed as a rapper named Tooclassiq in Kano before relocating to Lagos and developing the softer, reflective sound that defines his current work. Moving frequently as a child taught him to adapt quickly and connect across backgrounds. “It taught us how to engage with different people, different tribes, different backgrounds so I can relate to anybody in the world as long as we can speak the same,” he said.
After Homeless, he intended to wait until 2026 for his next release. “I let time do its thing,” he explained. “There were a lot of things that changed; there was a lot of perspective that came into place on that journey of me traveling to now, so I just let time answer every question, and I let time direct me.”
Inside the Album
On The Road features collaborations with Black Sherif, Morrelo, and Fridayy. Llona carries the remaining tracks alone, drawing entirely from lived experience. “I genuinely can’t write fiction. I write from what I have experienced, what I’m seeing with my eyes, what I’m feeling,” he said. “That’s where the emotion comes from.”
Standout moments include the track “Anger Management,” where he sings about veins popping from his head and admits, “my temperament is hurting me.” On “What Do We Do?” he reflects on empty promises and a confusing new reality. The album’s tone remains mellow and suited for solitary listening, shaped by the wonder he encountered despite the tour’s logistical demands.
Llona aims to offer listeners something akin to hope through the project.
