Mr Viral
It’s a record to release an Afrobeats album at the age of 19. It is record breaking to release an Afrobeats album with zero features at the age of 19. Since Qing Madi broke into starlight in 2022, the young superstar has been charting a distinct path for herself, blending genres to find her own sound.
In 2023, Qing Madi shared her first body, an extended version of herself eponymously titled “Qing Madi.” It was the first body of work that introduced us to the magic that the superstar would become.
Now, in her full evolving potential, Qing Madi feels it’s the right time to share herself whole-fully with a full studio album. On the 31st of January, 2025, the superstar released a no-feature album titled “I Am the Blueprint,” a statement album that emphasises her ingenuity and creativity.
Days before the release of the album, we had a conversation with the superstar on her journey, the intention behind the album, her cultural affiliations and some fun facts about her.
Enjoy the conversation.
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Hello Madi, how are you doing today?
I’m good, I’m excited. I had my listening party last night so I’ve been smiling all through.
How excited are you about this album, I Am The Blueprint?
I’m super, super excited. I feel even more excited because yesterday I got to have reactions to the album so now I’m even like, you know, I can’t wait for the whole world to hear it because this is, this is something so precious, yeah.
You named your first EP, Qing Madi and then this one is “I Am The Blueprint. There’s so much confidence oozing through your titling of your bodies of work. Is this what you were trying to achieve?
Yeah, for certain. Like, obviously my first extended play was titled “Qing Madi.” It’s self titled because I always feel like I’m that person.
I feel like I’m special. I know I’m special, the type of music I make is special. And so every single project I bring out, I make it a necessity to come from a place of knowing who I am.
So I Am The Blueprint is also like a very confident claim.
Still on the I Am The Blueprint that we’re expecting on the 31st, what emotions did you pour into it?
The project is so perfect. It really has every single emotion that I have gone through as an artist, as a Nigerian. I feel like it’s the most relatable, yet very vulnerable project.
So there was just every single song representing every single stage of vulnerability I’ve had in my life at certain stages. So like one song is about me doubting myself. Another song is about me feeling like, you know, I have to work really hard.
Another song is about me just being confident. So it’s like you really go through the emotions of a human being when you listen to the full project. And I just hope my fans can feel the same way I feel while creating it when they’re listening to it.
So, yeah.
It’s interesting that you mentioned your relationship with your fans. You have mentioned that they coined the term Afro Delulu. How important are their imputes in your bodies of work?
They are very important.
I feel like they are the number one when it comes to my process of creating music, because I’m always thinking about them like the Qings. I’m always thinking about my fans. I’m always thinking about like, you know, what type of music would they be able to relate to? I don’t ever like to sell myself short or try to make music for the purpose of other people.
But my Qings are very special when it comes to like, I’m always like, OK, if I’m making a song about myself, I need to be as open about this. I need to be as detailed about it because I want my fans to relive that moment with me while they’re listening to the song. So, yeah, they have a strong input in my music.
Thank you. The choice of no features. That’s very, very, very bold. Was that deliberate or something that happened along the way?
For me, it was like I always knew my debut album was going to have no features.
I really didn’t like the more I confirmed that the scarier I got because I was like, I’m really about to put out an album with no features. The whole reality of that happening was scary to me. But there was something that just made me say I’ve always wanted this way, maybe in the future, a deluxe, another album.
There definitely will be collaborations. But this album, as the title goes, I am the blueprint, not me and her, me and him. It’s a me project.
It’s a very selfish thing. So it’s very personal to me. And I’m like, it’s all about me.
This whole project is about revealing myself to my crowd and my audience. So, yeah, I feel like that’s also the fact that there are no features, no kikos in sync with the name. So it feels like, OK, this is the confidence she’s talking about.
So I feel like that’s why I didn’t do any features.
Yeah, we love the energy. We really love the energy. You mentioned writing songs about things that you’ve never experienced. So how do you tap into emotions that you’ve not experienced?
For me, I like to put myself in certain scenarios, especially when I’m being told a certain story. Maybe I’m just listening to someone pour their heart and I’m envisioning myself in that person’s state.
And I’m just like, how would a Qing Madi song sound coming from that perspective? Even when I write love songs, I don’t want to write the regular love songs. I’m writing love songs from a different angle, like love songs about wanting somebody else’s partners. That’s the way I’ll talk about love.
So for me, it’s like I like to envision myself in other people’s situations and then try to speak about it as if I am that person, regardless of the fact that I am not in that situation. I feel like that’s what a true artist does. I feel like every single artist has that little trick down their sleeves.
Why is the colour blue so important to you?
It’s always been my favorite color. I felt very intrigued by having it as part of my childhood in my album title and in my branding as well. Every time I have my hair done, most times I have blue inside because it always just reminds me that I’m carrying along the younger Madi, the one that had all these dreams.
So I’m reliving it and I don’t want to let that part of me go yet. That’s why every time I’m always signifying I love blue, I’m dressed in blue, my hair is blue, something about me has to be blue. Right now my nails are blue.
So it just basically represents my childhood and taking it along with me as an artist. Thank you.
You’ve talked about having an alter ego, Qing Madi being different from Chimamanda, have you come to terms with being THE Qing Madi?
I feel like she’s very confident. Qing Madi, she’s the one that did this No Feature album.
The Amanda version of me is like, are you really about to do that? That’s crazy because I’ve never actually seen anybody debut an album with No. I think they have, but I’ve really never seen any recent person debut an album and there’s no features on it because we all know the uses of features. It can help you connect to a bigger crowd.
There could be a mix of someone else’s chemistry with yours, but then Qing is just like, damn it, like I am the blueprint. I don’t need anybody else on my album. And it’s something that I just genuinely feel her confidence is so overwhelming because naturally I’m very introverted.
So having that alter ego that just says like, I am who I am and is confident about it is very surreal, to be honest. So I feel like I’m just, I’m messing around with her. I’m trying to see what’s going on, but yeah.
Yeah, we love it. We love it. The album is not yet out, but we know you’ve listened to it over and over and over again. And it might be difficult for you to pick a favourite from the album now. Tell us which one you hold close to your heart.
That’s so difficult because I feel like each one of them is a story of mine.
It’s just like picking your favourite memory. I don’t think that’s something that is easy, but I would say off the top of my head at this particular moment, I’m loving “It’s A Game.” I think it’s a very raw song, with very raw emotion.
Like everything on it is just like, it’s R&B, so it’s very different. And I know it’s not going to be everybody’s niche, but it’s definitely a song that I feel will age so beautifully. And you know, right now, the lyrics are really just amazing to me.
Are there any surprises on the album?
There are. I can’t say too much because it’s coming out in a couple of days, so there’s no point in like, you know, in a few days, you guys won’t be able to get it yet. Keeping your cards close to your chest, that’s fine.
So a bit away from the album, what do you think is the most exciting development, or change that is happening to African music right now? We have all of you guys now. Yeah, it’s just recognition. I think that one of the most amazing things happening is Afrobeat and African artists.
The international recognition is crazy. Right now, a lot of people are appreciating our music, our style, and our authenticity way more than in the past, where a lot of, especially female artists were limited by their geographical area. It was just a couple people, and then there was a whole thing against men or women.
But now it’s like, people are opening up their ears to our sound. I’m very grateful to be a part of the people that are coming out in this generation, where there’s media, and then there’s a lot of people that are paying attention. I’m very blessed to be in this generation, really, because I could not have imagined how difficult it was, and how obstructed a lot of females were in their career as women, chasing the music industry.
But yeah, I feel recognition, definitely. Appreciation, as well, is one of the greatest things that’s happening to our music as Africans. Thank you.
Thank you. Do you still have time to read books? You mentioned having a mini-library, and what was the last book you read?
I don’t know if you have time. I’m looking at it (the mini-library) right now. I have so many books. I love Chimamanda’s books, not just because she’s my namesake, but I love her books.
I’ve read, there’s this one, Americanah, Half of a Yellow Sun. I haven’t started reading that one. Then I read Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe.
I’ve read The Thing Around Your Neck. I’ve read this one book that I love so much. It’s called Wake Me Before I Die, or Wake Me When I Die.
It’s literally my favorite book right now. It’s so mentally, like, oh my God.
Yeah, so you are recommending the book to our viewers?
I’m recommending Wake Me Before I Die. That book is so beautiful, yeah.
Is there a song you wish you wrote that was released recently?
A song I wish I wrote? I honestly wish I wrote No Games by Fave, or Wande Coal’s Superwoman. Those two songs, I wish I wrote them because they’re the most beautiful songs ever. I feel like, personally, they just have a very unique foreign blend with core Afrobeats.
The Afrobeats is still very consistent, but then again, there’s a core blend that you’re just like, how did you think of this? That’s how I hear it every time I listen to both those songs. I wish I wrote that.
Speaking of Fave, yeah, I mean, we have a current crop of young Afrobeat artists, especially the women, doing so well.
What is it like for you guys? Candy Blakes, Fave, Ayra Starr, Darko, you’re doing this, Bloody Civilian too. What is it like for you guys to get your work? We will imagine that it’s a bit more difficult, not slightly, more difficult in terms of the industry.
I feel like women have to work 10 times harder to be respected.
Half as much. It’s insane because as women, we’re limited by so many things, biologically even, because I know at some point, people like to pressurize us based on societal values. When we get to a certain stage, they’re always telling you, you can’t do music forever.
As a woman, you’re supposed to get married. The whole society is looking at us as a lab rat to live a certain way, while as men, they have the whole world ahead of them. They can do as much, they can sing, they can do whatever, but there’s more pressure on us as women to be certain people.
We’re not given the freedom to truly recreate our art. We’re being criticized for certain things that we do, and then certain ways that we dress, certain things that we say in the media, because how dare a woman say that? It’s very difficult. I love a lot of women that do this music thing completely, because the space is so unhealthy for us sometimes.
Even our surroundings, they don’t even really make it healthy for us, because we’re women, we’re looked at a certain way. I don’t love it. I feel like Afrobeat should grow to the point where women are being treated the same as men, or even appreciated even more.
I would love that. I’m blessed to be a part of it, but then again, I really feel like the female space, there’s not a lot of us. I can’t wait for the new generation of more amazing women that are going to come and create their own difference, and be themselves, and not have to make Afrobeats because they want to please a crowd.
I want them to be authentic. I can’t wait for the next wave of women, really. Yeah, we see that you’re a champion in that.
We see that, and we love to see it. So, we have listed five words out, and these words mean a lot to you, but why don’t you describe these words to our viewers, and what they mean to you? So, the first is Ugbor Road.
Wow, I didn’t see that coming.
I grew up behind BIU, Uber Road, GRA, and I was there for 14 years since I was born, till I finished. Every single memory of it is very core, from having my mom’s such as amazing artists like Ivan Fame, Iben Keyes, Richie Benson. They all had an implement in me, and you know, Benin is a very small place.
It’s like family. It’s a very small community, really, because when you know somebody, they know somebody. It just feels like home.
I feel like that’s something I don’t really love about Lagos. Lagos is so huge. There’s a lot of things going on.
It’s work, but when you’re in Benin, you really feel comfortable. You feel like these are my people. So, I mean, that just brings back home memories.
That’s what it is for me, it’s family. Yeah, thank you, thank you.
I schooled in Benin, so I get what you’re saying.
The next name is Ramoni.
Ramoni is the first. He made the first record that I put out as an artist, See Finish. I went to Blaqbonez’ house to do a backup job for one song, and Ramoni, when he heard me sing, he played me a beat.
That’s the See Finish beat, and when I wrote the song, I asked him if I could post it on TikTok, and he said, yeah, go ahead, post it on TikTok, because I was a content creator. So, it blew up on TikTok, and that’s basically how my journey has been. Ramoni has also produced a lot of amazing songs for me, and he’s one of my favorite producers of all time.
Shout out to Ramoni.
Thank you. Shout out to Ramoni.
BIU. What does BIU mean to you?
Where are these words coming from? BIU, my brother schooled there. My mom had a shop behind.
You know, it was that place that you could literally just trek to buy, like, rice or something. I didn’t enter. I think I entered once or twice, but I just went around to buy a couple of things.
I don’t know, but yeah.
Yeah, this one is a bit on the nose. Chimamanda.
I think only my mom and a few of my aunties call me that. I don’t think it’s very popular. People would rather call me Amanda.
I feel like I was more Amanda even in school and church, but when I’m in trouble, that’s when my mom would be like, Chimamanda. That’s how she pronounces it. That’s only when, like, I’ve done something and I’m like, Jesus Christ.
Yeah, that name just basically means I’ve done something wrong. That’s right. That’s kind of how I feel.
The last one in the line of this, yeah, we all know this in 2020, See Finish.
See Finish was my breakthrough song. It was literally what took me to the scene of music.
It was a song I wrote for TikTok, really, because I really didn’t think it would ever get to the point where I’m like, wow, this is huge. So it was very authentic. It was the real Madi, really.
That’s the realest song I’ve written by heart, because every single lyric on the song, I meant it while I was writing it. And I’m really glad that I’ve overcome all the pressure that I was going through at the time when I made the song. So, yeah.
Thank you. Lastly, what’s your message to your fans? Your album is coming out on the 31st. What’s your message to your fans?
Thank you guys so much.
You guys have been riding with me since See Finish, since Olay, American Love, Vision, since Y, Chargy, so many amazing stuff. And you guys have literally been rooting for me. I did my concert in Uganda.
You guys pulled up. I love you guys so much for always supporting me and always supporting my music. And as a gift to you guys, I present to you the I Am The Blueprint album, because you guys are always telling me, put more music.
I have a whole 13 songs for my amazing fans. I hope you love it. And stream, stream, stream, because it’s going to be coming out on the 31st of January.
And I want to hear which one of the songs are your favorite. Text me my DM, and I will certainly respond. Thank you so much.
Thank you so much for joining us here. I’ve loved having you here..
Thank you, and see you soon. Bye.
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Photo Credit: Qing Madi
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