Explore Maleek Berry's journey from producer to solo artist, his influence on Afropop and his 2025 debut album, If Only Love Was Enough.

Maleek Berry: The British-Nigerian Producer Who Helped Shape Modern Afropop

Before Afrobeats became a dominant global music export, a group of Nigerian and Nigerian-British producers were helping define the sound that would eventually travel around the world.

Maleek Berry is one of those figures.

Born Maleek Shoyebi, the British-Nigerian producer and singer developed a reputation for combining polished Afropop rhythms with R&B, dancehall and other international influences.

He first became widely recognized through his production work for major Nigerian artists before developing his own career as a recording artist.

Apple Music describes him as a London-based singer and producer whose early production work included artists such as Wande Coal, Davido and Wizkid, before he established himself as a solo artist.

From Producer to Artist

Maleek Berry's career is interesting because production came before his identity as a major recording artist.

That background influenced the way he approached music.

Rather than beginning with the question of how to become a celebrity, he developed an understanding of how songs are constructed.

That included:

• melody

• rhythm

• arrangement

• vocals

• instrumentation

• songwriting

• studio production

Those skills later became central to his own records.

Working Behind the Scenes

Berry's early production career connected him with some of Nigeria's most prominent pop artists.

His work with Wande Coal, Davido and Wizkid placed him within the generation that helped modernize Nigerian pop during the 2010s. Apple Music specifically identifies those artists among his early production relationships.

This producer role is important because music history often focuses on the singer standing in front of the microphone.

But the sound of an era is frequently shaped just as much by the producers behind it.

The Maleek Berry Sound

Berry's music often sits between several traditions.

His sound has incorporated:

Afropop

R&B

dancehall

contemporary African pop

electronic production

The result is a polished style that can sound distinctly Nigerian while remaining accessible to listeners familiar with international pop and R&B.

Why His Production Work Matters

During the rise of Nigerian pop in the 2010s, artists needed records that could work locally while still sounding contemporary to international audiences.

Berry became one of the producers helping bridge those worlds.

Pulse Nigeria's 2025 review of his debut album described his earlier work as part of the sonic path that helped Afropop connect with global listeners.

That assessment is an interpretation by the publication, but it reflects the broader significance often attached to his production career.

The Solo Transition

After establishing himself behind the scenes, Berry increasingly stepped forward as a performer.

This was not simply a change from producer to singer.

His production experience informed his own artistic identity.

He could control elements of:

• songwriting

• arrangement

• vocal delivery

• production

• visual presentation

That gave his solo work a strong sense of continuity.

Last Daze of Summer

Berry's Last Daze of Summer project became an important part of his emergence as a solo artist.

Released in 2016, it helped establish the mood-driven style that would become associated with his music.

Tracks such as "Kontrol" became especially recognizable among listeners of contemporary Afropop.

"Kontrol"

"Kontrol" became one of Berry's signature songs.

The record demonstrated his approach to combining smooth vocals with dance-oriented production.

It also established a template that would appear repeatedly in his later work.

First Daze of Winter

Berry followed Last Daze of Summer with First Daze of Winter in 2018.

The two projects worked almost like complementary chapters.

Where Last Daze of Summer leaned into warmth and atmosphere, the later project continued the relationship-centered, melodic approach while expanding his sound.

Apple Music continues to list both projects among his major releases.

Eko Miami

Another recurring element in Berry's music is his relationship with Lagos.

Songs such as "Eko Miami" connect his Nigerian identity with his British upbringing and international outlook.

The result is a musical identity that is simultaneously local and diasporic.

A Bridge Between Two Worlds

Being British-Nigerian has influenced the context around Berry's music.

He operates within a generation of artists whose lives and audiences are naturally connected to multiple cities and cultures.

For such artists, London and Lagos are not separate cultural universes.

They are part of the same musical network.

The Diaspora's Role in Afrobeats

The African diaspora played an important role in helping Afrobeats reach audiences outside the continent.

London in particular became an important meeting point for Nigerian musicians, producers, DJs and audiences.

Berry's career developed within that environment.

His sound naturally reflected multiple musical influences.

The Producer as Artist

Berry's career also demonstrates that producers can have their own artistic identity.

A producer may:

create a sound for others

then

become recognized for that sound

and finally

use the same expertise to build a personal catalog.

That trajectory has become increasingly visible across Afrobeats and global pop.

Isolation Room

In 2020, Berry released Isolation Room, a project shaped by the unusual circumstances of the pandemic period.

Apple Music describes it as a diaristic reflection on the loneliness and consequences associated with the COVID-19 period.

The project showed a more introspective side of his songwriting.

From Singles to a Long-Expected Album

For years, Berry had released singles and projects without a traditional studio-album debut.

That changed in 2025.

His long-anticipated first studio album finally arrived.

If Only Love Was Enough

Released on June 13, 2025, If Only Love Was Enough contains 15 songs and runs for about 48 minutes. Apple Music lists it as a 2025 Afropop release through Berry's Room.

The album represented a major milestone because it brought together more than a decade of experience into one full-length project.

The Album's Central Theme

The title If Only Love Was Enough gives the project a clear emotional direction.

The songs explore:

• love

• desire

• ambition

• relationships

• loneliness

• nightlife

• emotional uncertainty

Apple Music's description says the album examines modern forms of love and the ways ambition can interfere with relationships.

A 15-Track Journey

The album includes:

• All Over You

• Onyeoma

• Lately featuring Ruger

• To The Morning

• Summer 25

• Situation featuring Wizkid

• Biggie Man featuring Zlatan

• Turning Up

• Mirror

• 4 My Body featuring Tiwa Savage

• Lagos Party

• Who Be This One

• Set It Off

• Make It Right

• The Pain

The official Apple Music listing confirms the 15-track sequence.

Reuniting With Wizkid

One of the most notable collaborations is "Situation" featuring Wizkid.

The collaboration has an extra layer of meaning because Berry and Wizkid already share a history from the earlier period of Nigerian pop's international expansion.

The song therefore connects Berry's production-era work with his later solo identity.

Tiwa Savage Appears on "4 My Body"

Berry also collaborates with Tiwa Savage on "4 My Body."

The record brings together two prominent figures from Nigeria's modern pop generation.

It also demonstrates Berry's continuing ability to work comfortably with established artists.

Ruger on "Lately"

Ruger appears on "Lately."

Apple Music notes that the song references Berry's melody from "Bend It," linking the newer generation of Nigerian artists with his earlier catalog.

That makes the track a subtle bridge between different generations of Afropop.

Zlatan on "Biggie Man"

Berry also joins forces with Zlatan on "Biggie Man."

The song provides another example of how he can move from his smooth R&B-influenced material into more energetic contemporary Nigerian pop.

Lagos Party

"Lagos Party" returns to one of Berry's recurring themes: the social and nightlife culture of Lagos.

Apple Music connects the song with the tradition established by his earlier "Eko Miami."

Lagos becomes more than a geographical reference.

It becomes part of the emotional world surrounding the music.

Why If Only Love Was Enough Matters

The album is significant because it arrived after Berry had already spent years influencing Nigerian pop as a producer.

Instead of being the beginning of his career, it functions as a summation of everything that came before.

A Mature Debut

Calling If Only Love Was Enough a debut can be slightly misleading because Berry was not a newcomer in 2025.

The album was his debut studio album as a full-length solo artist, but it followed years of professional work.

That distinction is important.

A Return to the Sound He Helped Shape

OkayAfrica described the project as combining elements of 2000s R&B and 2010s Afropop with a contemporary approach.

That helps explain why the album can feel nostalgic without simply sounding like an old record.

Nostalgia and Modern Afropop

Berry's production style is strongly associated with an earlier stage of Afropop's international development.

His 2025 album revisits some of that musical atmosphere while presenting it through modern production.

That gives the project two identities:

a reflection on where Afropop came from

and

a contemporary record in its own right.

Storytelling in the Music

Berry has spoken about the importance of songwriting and storytelling.

In the OkayAfrica interview around the album, he explained that he wanted to create songs people could relate to over time rather than simply records designed for parties.

That idea is reflected in the album's mixture of romance, vulnerability and celebration.

A Strong Connection to Love Songs

Love and relationships have remained recurring subjects throughout Berry's solo work.

That consistency has helped create a recognizable emotional identity.

His music is often less about dramatic declarations and more about mood, attraction and uncertainty.

Fashion and Visual Identity

Berry's visual presentation has also become part of his brand.

His polished styling reflects the same balance found in the music:

African identity

plus

London influence

plus

modern global pop aesthetics.

That visual language is particularly useful in an era where music audiences discover songs through short-form video and social platforms.

The Importance of Independent Creative Control

If Only Love Was Enough was released through Berry's Room, his own label/imprint.

Apple Music identifies Berry's Room as the copyright holder for the album.

That suggests a more artist-led approach to releasing the project.

A Career Built on Multiple Roles

Berry's story is not simply:

producer → singer.

It is closer to:

producer → songwriter → performer → creative director → independent artist.

Each stage builds on the previous one.

His Influence on Younger Artists

A producer who helps shape the sound of an earlier generation can influence younger musicians even when the connection is not obvious.

Berry's melodic production style, polished Afropop arrangements and R&B influence became part of the musical environment from which later artists emerged.

Afrobeats Before Global Dominance

When Berry was developing his production career, Nigerian music was already successful but had not yet reached the scale of today's global streaming market.

The growth that followed created new possibilities for artists like him.

Afrobeats and Global Streaming

The rise of streaming changed how African music traveled.

A song could move from Lagos to London, New York, Toronto and Paris without requiring a separate traditional distribution system in every territory.

That helped create the environment in which Berry's sound could be appreciated internationally.

A Career Worth Revisiting

It can be easy to remember Afrobeats history through its biggest singers alone.

But producers and studio musicians were essential to the development of the genre's sound.

Maleek Berry belongs in that conversation.

What Comes Next?

As of the latest Apple Music artist listing, If Only Love Was Enough remains Maleek Berry's latest album, released in June 2025.

That makes the album the key current reference point for understanding his artistic evolution.

The Bigger Picture

Maleek Berry's career provides an important link between the early international rise of Nigerian pop and the fully global Afrobeats era.

He first became widely known through production work involving artists such as Wande Coal, Davido and Wizkid, then developed a distinct solo sound through projects including Last Daze of Summer, First Daze of Winter and Isolation Room.

His long-awaited debut studio album, If Only Love Was Enough, arrived on June 13, 2025, with 15 songs featuring collaborations with Wizkid, Tiwa Savage, Ruger and Zlatan.

That album does more than add another release to his catalog.

It documents the journey of an artist who helped shape a sound before that sound became a global industry.

Tags: Maleek Berry, Afrobeats, Nigerian Music