Viva Lavida marks the beginning of a New Chapter for Joeboy
Listening to “Viva Lavida” feels different as this is Joeboy’s first major project since leaving Empawa Africa in February 2024 and launching his label, Young Legend, in the same year.
Doing a cover of Ed Sheeran’s ‘Shape of You’ in 2017 helped get him signed and propelled mega-hits like “Baby,” “Beginning,” and “Don’t Call Me Back.” But since then, Joeboy has grown into a megastar, navigated life’s challenges, and finally feels the need to take a step back and reflect.
“Viva Lavida is basically about me living freely. Early in my career, I was always trying to be too careful and too perfect because I thought that was how it was supposed to be. But two years ago, I began to feel trapped and realized that I was trying to live by other people’s standards. That was when I asked myself, why not do what I want to do and stand for what I represent?” Joe Boy shared in an interview with Zikoko, explaining his desire to represent something different in his music.
The music is more refreshing now, for sure — and arguably better storytelling, with guest verses from Olamide, Wizard Chan, Elan Dara, and the already-popular Adenuga alongside Qing Madi.
From ‘Innocent’ to ‘Streets Are Lonely’, Joeboy delivers the kind of groovy, lovelorn pop that reminds us why we fell for his sound in the first place — followed by the trendy ‘Taxi Driver’ and ‘SMH’, fan favorites even before the album officially dropped.
‘Free of Charge’ gave us a befitting guest verse from Olamide (as expected). From ‘Hey Father’ to ‘I’ll Be Okay’ with Wizard Chan, Joeboy delivers one of those pop tracks that’ll definitely be talked about — filled with emotional clarity and that rare kind of honesty you only get from love songs that hit close to home.
Generally, from the cover designed by Bidemi, this album gives off a vibe, as Joeboy himself said in an interview: “It clicked for me that moment that I should be unapologetically myself. Since then, I started calling myself ‘Lavida Boy’ because I started living free.” That’s what the album is all about.
This album is one of the better representations of what Afro-Pop has evolved into since 2017. Eight years later, Joeboy is still fully embodying its essence. For fans and new listeners, this one is for you!
