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With his smooth vocals, introspective lyrics, and genre-bending sound, Noir is not just another artist trying to ride the next trend.
With his smooth vocals, introspective lyrics, and genre-bending sound, Noir is not just another artist trying to ride the next trend.
In the sprawling, ever-evolving landscape of Nigerian music, where Afrobeats dominates airwaves and street pop stirs clubs into a frenzy, a new wave of artists is rewriting the rules — and leading that quiet rebellion is Noir, one of the most compelling voices in contemporary Nigerian R&B.
With his smooth vocals, introspective lyrics, and genre-bending sound, Noir is not just another artist trying to ride the next trend. He’s a craftsman — a storyteller — using music to explore vulnerability, self-discovery, and the emotional rollercoaster that comes with being young and human in a city that never slows down.
Formerly known as Tyson, Nior, the Lagos-born singer has gone through a creative metamorphosis. The name change wasn’t just cosmetic; it signaled a deeper shift — from making music that was good, to music that is true. Noir’s art now feels more personal, more intentional, and more sonically daring.
While many Nigerian acts opt for uptempo beats and party anthems, Noir moves differently. His music is built for the quiet hours — the moments after the crowd is gone and the feelings remain. His songs feel like voice notes to yourself, confessions whispered into the dark.
His 2020 EP, Up At 5, was a defining moment. A late-night diary set to minimalist R&B and mellow synths, the EP offered tracks like “Down For It” and “Comfortable” — slow-burning love songs laced with doubt, longing, and the search for meaning in modern relationships.
It was a bold statement for a debut: Noir wasn’t here to fit in. He was here to say something.
Then came “Desperado” — a haunting single that cemented Noir’s reputation as a fearless storyteller. With its ghostly beat and emotional honesty, “Desperado” tackles the ache of being stuck in a love that’s beautiful but broken. It’s not a cry for help, but a confession of what it means to hold on even when letting go might be smarter.
The video, directed by UAX (who’s also worked with Rema), is a visual dream — shadowy, surreal, and as emotionally gripping as the song itself.
Noir doesn’t just sing songs. He builds worlds — places where emotion is king and silence speaks as loud as sound.
In 2021, Noir linked up with rising rapper and singer SGaWD for the track “Figure It Out” — a smooth, seductive duet that perfectly captures the bittersweet nature of two people trying to move forward while haunted by their past. It was a soft explosion of chemistry and craft, proof that Noir knows how to collaborate without losing his voice.
Each release since then — whether singles or features — has added another layer to his sound, his story, and his vision.
Noir represents a new kind of Nigerian music star — not one who chases virality, but one who chases authenticity. He’s part of the quiet but powerful R&B and alté movement that includes names like Tems, Tay Iwar, Lady Donli, and Cruel Santino. Together, they’re expanding what it means to be an artist from Nigeria, showing the world that rhythm and depth can co-exist.
What sets Noir apart is his refusal to conform. He embraces silence. He sits with discomfort. He gives voice to the things we often bury. In doing so, he’s building a sound that’s timeless — not just trendy.
In April 2025, Noir dropped Things I Never Said — a four-track EP that feels like a soul laid bare. If Up At 5 was the moment he cracked the door open, this is the moment he throws it wide open and invites you into the storm.
The project isn’t flashy, and that’s the point. It’s sparse, intimate, and intentional — a sonic scrapbook of unspoken truths, heartbreaks that never made it into text messages, and the kind of quiet self-doubt most of us are too afraid to admit. It’s Noir at his most raw, and somehow, his most refined.
Standout tracks like “2 MUCH DRAMA” and “UPSET” drift on airy production and minimalist synths, allowing his voice to do what it does best — cut deep without ever shouting. Meanwhile, “I LIED” feels like a confession sealed inside a voicemail you’ll never send, and “SAY IT” rounds out the project with a soft exhale, not quite a goodbye but something close.
There’s a certain fearlessness in Things I Never Said — not in the typical chest-thumping way we’re used to in music, but in the quieter courage of being seen. Noir doesn’t flinch, even when the mirror gets ugly.
While he remains somewhat elusive on social media, whispers suggest that Noir is working on a full-length project — one that may take his sound even deeper into new emotional and sonic territory. And if his previous work is anything to go by, it’ll be worth the wait.
Noir is a rare kind of artist — one who knows that music doesn’t just entertain. It heals. It remembers. It transforms.
So if you haven’t yet tapped into his discography, now’s the time. Because this isn’t just music. This is Noir — and he’s making darkness sound divine.
Follow Noir on Spotify, Apple Music, and all platforms. Or better still, listen at 5 a.m. That’s when it hits different.
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