The Art of Becoming: Inside Mohalizer’s Evolution as an Artist

In a music space overflowing with borrowed names and trending aesthetics, Mohalizer steps forward not just as a voice, but as a story, one grounded in authenticity, resilience, and a quiet confidence that comes from truly knowing oneself.

But before the shows, before the Ejoya co-signs and the growing catalogue of soul-bending melodies, there was just Moha — a nickname casually gifted by an uncle, short for his birth name, Mohammed. “It caught on,” he says with a small laugh. “Everybody started calling me Moha, too.”

Yet as he edged deeper into the professional realm of music and digital streaming platforms, Moha found himself tangled in identity issues. “There was this time a song of mine ended up under someone else’s profile,” he recalls. That was when he and his lawyer decided it was time to brand differently. The name Mohalizer, once just a casual alias used by a friend, suddenly felt right — a marker of uniqueness in a saturated landscape.

From Westlife to West Africa: Tracing the Spark

Ask him what sparked his love for music, and his face lights up. It wasn’t Oxlade, Odeal, or even 2Baba — not at first. “I was a big fan of Westlife. Like, big. Even those old drive-by songs and ballads, all those heartbreak classics,” he says. Music, for Mohalizer, wasn’t initially a career goal; it was a soft place to land — a joy that needed no justification.

The turning point came when his uncle gifted him his first guitar. “That’s when I started writing my songs. I’d just sit, play, and create whatever matched how I was feeling. That’s when the shift happened.”

In secondary school, he joined a music collective called South Side Entertainment. “I wasn’t even invited as a musician at first,” he says. “I guess they saw something, some talent, and asked me to join in properly. That’s how I ended up recording my first ever song.” From then on, the journey picked up momentum.

No Box Can Hold Him: A Sonically Inclined Chameleon

If you’re looking to put Mohalizer in a genre box, good luck. “I’m easy-going by nature, and I think that reflects in my sound. I can adapt to anything — Afro-house, soul, even pop,” he explains. “I don’t think sound is the same as genre. Sound is about sonics — the quality, the feeling. And I think I’m just sonically gifted.”

This gift allows him to move fluidly across styles without sounding forced. Whether he’s crooning introspective lines over mellow chords or dancing across high-energy rhythms, Mohalizer always sounds like himself — grounded, intentional, and real.

A Ritual in Progress

While many artistes have rituals before hitting the booth, Mohalizer’s is still taking shape. “I’m a Christian, so I love the idea of praying before a session. I’m trying to make that a habit,” he says thoughtfully.

Most times, he follows the vibe. “Sometimes I’m alone in my room and I just feel something — maybe I’ve had a great day, or a tough one, or even an argument — and I channel it. Other times I plan it out and hit the studio with my manager or a friend.”

What remains consistent is how emotionally present he is in the process. His songwriting draws from real moments — sometimes personal, sometimes observed, and sometimes just imagined. “I love storytelling. Some of my songs are about things I’ve been through. Others are inspired by random things — a movie, a sentence someone said, or just a word that stuck with me.”

Stages, Spotlights & a Little Nervousness

He’s already graced some of the most exciting performance platforms in the Nigerian music scene — Basement Gig, Flytime Fest, and Ourland Festival, among them. But he admits the nerves still hit. “Performing is a whole different thing. I can get nervous. But it’s getting better.”

Still, one performance stands out: Island Block Party. “That one built my confidence,” he says with visible pride. “It was one of the few times I finished a set and felt, ‘Yeah, I’m doing this.’ And I was proud of how I delivered. That doesn’t happen easily for me — I’m very hard to please when it comes to myself.”

Class of Ejoya’24: A Nod from the Culture

Being selected for the Ejoya Class of 2024 was a milestone that validated the years of silent work. “I’m grateful,” he says. “They didn’t just pick a song, I had to send in multiple tracks. The one they chose, ‘Mustafa,’ featured an amazing artist. That whole process gave me a lot of visibility.”

The Ejoya co-sign did more than boost his numbers — it reinforced that he wasn’t just doing this for fun anymore. “It made people go, ‘Oh, he’s really in this now.’ It helped shift the perception.”


Two EPs In, Many Lives Lived

With over 15 songs and two EPs to his name, Mohalizer has come a long way from his early days of freestyling in school corridors. His first project might have been low-budget, but it taught him a priceless lesson: how to be independent.

“I’ve always done things on my own, but now I’ve learned the business side too,” he says. “I practice constantly. That’s helped me grow in my writing, my sound, and in how I carry myself as an artist.”

Introvert, But Not Invisible

His latest body of work, Introvert, feels like a quiet manifesto — a project that reflects his nature without forcing grandiosity. “I’m not loud by default. But that doesn’t mean I don’t have something to say,” he tells us. “Introvert is just me—in melodies, in thoughts, in sound.”

And while Mohalizer might not be the type to scream for attention, his music speaks volumes. With vulnerability as his tool and versatility as his superpower, he’s crafting a lane where depth matters, stories linger, and sound truly connects.

Carving Out a Legacy

If there’s one thing Mohalizer is determined to leave behind, it’s not just charting singles or a catalogue of viral moments — it’s legacy. A body of work and a name that speaks louder over time. And that desire comes through not only in his lyrics, but in the intentional way he approaches his craft.

“I don’t want to just drop songs because everyone is doing it,” he shares. “I want everything I put out to mean something — to reflect growth, to tell a story, or show people a side of me they haven’t seen before.”

That level of awareness sets him apart in an industry that often prioritizes speed over substance. For Mohalizer, it’s not just about being heard, it’s about being remembered. And that means being deliberate — with his sound, his collaborations, his performances, and the spaces he chooses to show up in.

He understands that legacy isn’t built in the spotlight alone — it’s formed in the quiet hours, in the rewrites, in the rehearsals, in the moments when no one is watching but you’re still working. It’s a long game, and Mohalizer isn’t afraid to play it.

Still Rising

For Mohalizer, the journey is far from over. And that’s exactly why it’s so inspiring. His story reminds us that dreams don’t have to be rushed — they just have to be honest. With a vision rooted in self-awareness and a sound shaped by sincerity, the future for this genre-defying artist isn’t just bright — it’s inevitable.

Because when purpose meets patience, and talent meets truth, everything else eventually falls into place.