Why Nigerian Pop Music Needs Dwin, The Stoic

Finding beautiful music always feels like catching sunrays on my face on an otherwise grey day—something I didn’t realize I craved until it found me, bringing with it brilliant colour. This was how it felt listening to Dwin, The Stoic for the first time one grey day in 2021. My friend had recently started working with WeTalkSound—this incredible music collective from my hometown, Ibadan—and she had shared their latest album, Lofn 4: A Collection of Love Stories, with me. Nearly every track was a thrilling discovery, but when I got to Ignis Brothers’ ‘Lighthouse’, I was stunned. Dwin’s honeyed voice meandered steadily through my ears, and then Ruka, the other vocal half of the group, burst through just as sweetly. For me, it wasn’t just about the beauty of the music; it was also its unusualness. Hearing this kind of Indie folk music from seemingly homegrown talent piqued my interest, especially when I realized they weren’t from Ibadan.