Masego has done quite a bit since his acclaimed 2018 debut album Lady Lady. He’s toured the world a few times over. Had his hit single Tadow with FKJ go Platinum in the US and Diamond in Brazil. Starred in Apple Music’s Spatial Audio campaign. Opened the 2020 BET Awards. Performed Mystery Lady with Don Toliver on The Late Late Show with James Corden and Queen Tings with Tiffany Gouché on Our Kind of People. Received his first GRAMMY nomination for Studying Abroad: Extended Stay and was featured on Kaytranada‘s GRAMMY award-winning album BUBBA.
And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention played a medley of hits on NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Concert series. Reimagined his discography with the Nu Deco Ensemble orchestra. Learned a little Brasilian Portuguese. Bought property. And of course, tried to get to the Yamz with Devin Morrison. The earworm of a track led to last Thanksgiving’s #YamzChallenge with the likes of R&B greats Tank, Mario, and Charlie Wilson posting their covers of the hit on social media.
Okay, maybe “quite a bit” is an understatement. The man has been booked and busy for a couple years now.
Sego’s Studying Abroad EP and subsequent singles including Garden Party with Big Boi and JID, ELHAE collab My City, and Alex Isley collab Good & Plenty gave us a glimpse at the evolution that was to come on his sophomore project. Released in March, the self-titled album is the furthest thing from a sophomore slump. Masego’s sound and storytelling has undeniably matured. He has a distinctive way of absorbing sounds from around the globe and putting his own spin on them, crafting his own genre.
Thematically the album is quite personal, drawing from various points in Masego’s life. Sax Fifth Avenue takes listeners back to the days he used to busk in NYC outside of, you guessed it, the famed luxury department store Saks Fifth Avenue. You Never Visit Me kicks off with a skit that makes it very clear this song is dedicated to his ex-girlfriend. Two Sides is a sexy, playful take on his Gemini status and was inspired by his UK encounters which he hilariously documented in a Twitter thread about the backstories for some of his songs.
A few months ago Masego posted a video of himself covering Frank Ocean’s Lost. On Masego, he continues to showcase his talent for taking familiar songs and making them his own. On Black Anime he smoothly interpolates DJ Casper’s Cha Cha Slide. Listeners will also recognize Craig David’s What’s Your Flava? embedded in the hook of What You Wanna Try.
One of the standout tracks is the album closer Eternal Sunshine (Fire Pit). It sonically puts listeners in a dreamy Alt&B frame of mind while Sego looks back on his life and career.
Masego just wrapped the mostly sold out You Never Visit Me tour where he played cuts from his new album and old fan favorites. This summer you can catch him performing at festivals across Europe and the US.
Visit masegomusic.com for upcoming show dates and stream Masego on Apple Music and Spotify.
