On WONDERFUL, Tay Iwar fuses Tiv heritage, love confessions, and R&B mastery into one timeless body of work.
Tay Iwar’s talent is undeniable, and this year he’s been on an amazing run. Just months after releasing Reflection Station, he’s back with WONDERFUL, a 5-track EP.
One constant in Tay Iwar’s journey is his gift for blending R&B and Soul with various influences. His latest embrace of Tiv culture, woven into his sound, comes as no surprise.
On Reflection Station, it was seen in the “Bad Belle” track, which sampled Zule-Zoo’s Bad Belle.
This influence is even stronger here. Right from the opener, WONDERFUL, Tay samples Zule-Zoo’s “Necessary.” For context: Zule-Zoo was a Nigerian duo formed in the late ’90s by late Michael Aboh (of Tiv heritage) and Al-Hassan Ibrahim, best known for their hit “Kerewa.” They were known for blending traditional Nigerian rhythms with hip-hop and reggae. Tay taps into that nostalgia immediately, layering the sample with his soft, yearning vocals, confessing his longing for love and refusing to let go. It’s a masterstroke, grounding the song in cultural heritage while addressing universal feelings. “Kwagh ne ka ken ken ah oh, is a necessary” is peak nostalgia, and he ends the song with more from the sample.
DO YOUR THING pivots into strategy as Tay offers counsel, “My baby tell me you got to weaponise your pain, no gree for them again, that’s how I do my thing… Do your thing, time will tell anyway.” The second verse, in particular, is where he flexes his artistry. As he put it himself on X: “second verse supremacy.” Here, he’s floating, seamlessly, one of those moments where talent simply takes over. The beat to this is special, from the local drums at the start to the flutes and the strings. With Tay’s voice, it’s a sonic masterpiece.
MERCY PLEASE, released before the project, leans closer to the Tay fans know: smooth, groovy, and vulnerable. “For somebody who’s always inside, you know how to come alive… Man, I’m in danger.” He’s aware his love interest is risky, but he’s still willing to dive in, pleading for mercy along the way.
On FIND A WAY, Tay leans into conflict and yearning: “I know better, but I do the worst. I told myself I’ll cut you off, I’m deep in your stories, I can’t stop.” It’s a line that captures the EP’s recurring theme, the tug-of-war between reason and desire.
The project closes with NEXT2U, where Tay doubles down on earnest longing, keeping with the intimate, searching mood that ties the EP together.
Beyond the lyrics and vocals, Tay’s genius as a producer shines too, with full production credits on the first three tracks himself.
Rather than following trends, Tay Iwar has built his career on a steady willingness to grow and reinvent himself. On WONDERFUL, he continues that metamorphosis, fusing Tiv cultural elements with contemporary R&B and weaving in nostalgic samples that resonate across generations.
With just five tracks, the EP is concise yet rich, balancing cultural homage, love struggles, personal reflection, and sonic experimentation, all summing up to a masterpiece. WONDERFUL is a project with a bit of everything, and one you’ll want to play again.
