Entertainment TV & Film
Desperados and Young Jonn Blend Latin Music and Afrobeats
Desperados and Young Jonn blend Latin music and Afrobeats on ‘Let It Go.’ Here’s why the Yung Willis-produced track works and where it stumbles.
Desperados and Young Jonn have a new song called “Let It Go,” and it is exactly what happens when a beer brand with Latin roots decides to crash a Lagos night out. The track is built on a sample of “Guao Guao,” the reggaeton cut Desperados made with Venezuelan artist Micro TDH and Colombian producer Ovy On The Drums. Young Jonn took that foundation and rebuilt it as an Afrobeats record. Yung Willis, the Grammy-nominated producer behind work for Wizkid, Davido, Kizz Daniel, Falz, BNXN, Zlatan, Patoranking, and Ice Prince, handled the boards.
The result is not a remix. It is a translation.
Where Latin Music Meets Afrobeats
The smartest thing about “Let It Go” is what Young Jonn does not do. He does not try to sing reggaeton. He does not stack Spanish phrases over the beat to prove the crossover is real. Instead, he takes the melodic DNA of “Guao Guao” and lets it breathe inside a Nigerian rhythm structure. The percussion sits differently. The groove moves differently. If you know the original, you will recognize the ghost of it. If you do not, you will just hear a Young Jonn song that happens to have an unusual warmth underneath it.
That is the point. Desperados has been pushing its Latin heritage into Nigerian culture for a minute now, and “Let It Go” is the most deliberate version of that strategy yet. The brand is not selling a beer here. It is selling a feeling: the spontaneous night out, the link-up that turns into something you talk about for weeks, the moment when the DJ drops something and nobody checks the time.
Yung Willis deserves credit for the mix. His resume includes some of the biggest names in African music, and you can hear why. The low end is clean without being thin. The vocal sits forward enough to carry the melody but never fights the percussion. Nothing sounds like it was bolted on after the fact, which is rare for brand-backed music.
What Works and What Does Not
Young Jonn’s strength has always been his ability to sound effortless. He does not oversing. He does not oversell. On “Let It Go,” that restraint serves the song well because the production already has a lot going on. His delivery gives the Latin sample room to do its job without turning the track into a patchwork.
The weakness is that the song plays it safe. “Let It Go” is pleasant, well-made, and easy to move to. It is not the kind of record that will make you pull over your car. The lyrics lean on the same living-in-the-moment themes that every brand campaign reaches for, and while they fit the brief, they do not linger. You will remember the groove. You might not remember a single line.
That is a fair trade for what this song is trying to do. It is not trying to be a Young Jonn album cut. It is trying to be a bridge, and bridges are not supposed to be the destination.
The Broader Play
Desperados is not the first brand to use music as a cultural entry point, and it will not be the last. What makes this one worth noting is the specificity. The brand did not just hire a popular Nigerian artist and call it a day. It brought its own Latin record, handed it to a producer with real credits, and let the artist reinterpret it rather than copy it. That is a more respectful approach than most brand-artist collaborations manage.
Fans are already being invited to engage beyond streaming. The campaign includes dance recreations and lifestyle content, which is the standard playbook for a release like this. Whether that turns into actual cultural traction or just a few weeks of sponsored posts depends on whether the song earns a life of its own outside the campaign.
Young Jonn’s willingness to reinterpret rather than recreate is what gives “Let It Go” a chance. He has spent years building a catalog that moves between Afrobeats, R&B, and street-level Nigerian sounds. This track fits that range. It does not stretch him. It just puts him in a room with a different set of influences and lets him work.
Should You Press Play?
Yes, but go in with the right expectations. “Let It Go” is a vibe record, not a statement record. It is built for the pre-game, the drive to the party, the moment when someone hands you the aux and you need something that will not kill the energy. If you are looking for Young Jonn at his most emotionally raw, this is not that song. If you want to hear what happens when a Latin sample gets filtered through Lagos nightlife, this is exactly that.
Start with the first thirty seconds. If the percussion grabs you, stay. If it does not, skip to the bridge and see if the melody changes your mind.
The bigger question is whether Desperados and Young Jonn have actually built something that outlives the campaign. Brand songs usually do not. They get a push, a few playlist placements, and then they fade. “Let It Go” has the production quality to beat that odds. Whether it does depends on the dance floors, not the marketing budget.
Listen to the track, watch the video, and decide for yourself. Then check the comments and see if anyone else heard the same thing you did. That is where the real review happens anyway.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who produced ‘Let It Go’ by Desperados and Young Jonn?
The track was produced by Yung Willis, a Grammy-nominated producer known for work with Wizkid, Davido, Kizz Daniel, and others.
What song does ‘Let It Go’ sample?
‘Let It Go’ is built around a sample of ‘Guao Guao,’ a reggaeton track Desperados created with Venezuelan artist Micro TDH and Colombian producer Ovy On The Drums.
Is ‘Let It Go’ an Afrobeats song or a Latin song?
It is an Afrobeats song that draws on Latin music influences. Young Jonn reinterpreted the original reggaeton sample through a Nigerian rhythm structure.
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Love Afrobeats? Score a 4LP Fela Kuti Box Set
Love afrobeats? Score a 4LP box set from Fela Kuti, the man who built the genre. Here’s what’s inside and why it matters.
Love afrobeats? Score a 4LP box set from Fela Kuti, the man who built the sound you’re streaming right now. This isn’t a greatest-hits cash grab. It’s four slabs of wax documenting the architect of a genre that took fifty years to conquer the globe.
If you’ve been riding the wave since Burna Boy’s Grammy run or Wizkid’s “Essence” summer, here’s the uncomfortable truth: none of it exists without Fela Anikulapo Kuti. The box set is the closest thing to a history lesson you can drop on a turntable.
What’s Actually In The Box
Four LPs. That’s the headline. The set pulls from Fela’s most productive era, when he was running the Afrika Shrine in Lagos and turning political fury into groove. The tracks stretch past the ten-minute mark because that’s how Fela worked. He didn’t write songs. He built arguments.
For anyone raised on three-minute streaming edits, the length is the point. You sit with a track. You let the horn section circle back. You notice the bassline shift at minute seven. This is music that rewards patience, and the vinyl format forces that patience on you.
Why Fela Still Matters In 2026
The afrobeats boom has a strange relationship with its own origin story. Modern stars cite Fela as an influence in interviews, then release songs that sound nothing like him. That’s fine. Genre evolution works that way. But it means a lot of fans are missing the foundation.
Fela’s Afrobeat, the original spelling, was a deliberate fusion. He took Yoruba rhythms, James Brown funk, and jazz improvisation, then layered political commentary on top. The Nigerian government hated him for it. He kept going anyway.
That stubbornness is what you’re buying when you pick up this box set. Not nostalgia. A blueprint.
Standout Tracks And Where To Start
The long-form pieces are the ones that hit hardest on vinyl. The horn arrangements have room to breathe. The percussion doesn’t get compressed into mush. If you’ve only heard Fela through streaming services, the difference is immediate and slightly disorienting.
Start with the most rhythmically direct track on the set. Don’t skip to the shortest one. The shortest track on a Fela record is still longer than most modern album cuts, and the payoff comes in the back half.
For context on how differently vinyl changes a listening experience, Popdust’s breakdown of LANY’s mama’s boy makes a similar point about production choices shaping how an album lands. Fela’s engineers understood this decades before anyone called it a production aesthetic.
Where The Box Set Falls Short
No box set is perfect, and this one has the usual issues. If the pressing quality is inconsistent, you’ll hear it on the quieter passages. Fela’s music is dense, and a bad pressing turns dense into muddy. Check reviews of the specific pressing before you commit.
The packaging is another question mark. Some reissues prioritize liner notes and photos. Others skimp. This hasn’t been officially confirmed in detail, so if you care about the booklet, wait for unboxing videos before dropping the money.
And the price. Four LPs is never cheap. If you’re new to Fela, a single-disc compilation might serve you better. The box set is for people who already know they want the deep cuts.
Why This Matters For Afrobeats Fans
The genre’s current stars are building on something specific. When you hear a Burna Boy horn line or a Wizkid groove that feels older than it is, that’s Fela’s DNA. Owning the box set is a way of hearing the source code.
It’s also a statement. Vinyl collecting has become a way for fans to signal that they take music seriously, the same way Ariana Grande fans defended thank u, next against critics who dismissed it as disposable pop. Physical media says you’re not just streaming. You’re committing.
Should You Buy It?
If you love afrobeats and you’ve never gone back to Fela, this is the entry point. The box set is expensive, imperfect, and occasionally frustrating. It’s also the most direct line to the music that made everything else possible.
Start with the longest track. Not the most famous one. The longest. Give it fifteen minutes. If it doesn’t click, Fela might not be for you, and that’s fine. Not every fan needs to trace the lineage.
But if it does click, you’ll hear every afrobeats song you love differently. That’s the consequence of going to the source. You can’t unhear it.
For a sense of how physical releases still drive fan engagement in 2026, look at how Taylor Swift’s team handled The Life of a Showgirl rollout. Preorders, limited pressings, and the promise of something you can hold. Fela’s box set operates on the same logic, just fifty years removed from the marketing machine.
The difference is that Fela never needed a marketing machine. He had the Shrine, the horns, and a government that wanted him gone. The records survived anyway. Now they’re in a box, waiting for you to decide whether the history is worth the shelf space.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is included in the Fela Kuti 4LP box set?
The box set contains four LPs of Fela Kuti’s music from his most productive era. Specific track listings and packaging details haven’t been officially confirmed in full, so check the product page before buying.
Is this box set good for someone new to Fela Kuti?
It depends. If you already love afrobeats and want to understand its roots, the box set is a strong entry point. If you’re completely new, a single-disc compilation might be a cheaper way to test the waters first.
Why does Fela Kuti matter for modern afrobeats fans?
Fela created Afrobeat by fusing Yoruba rhythms, James Brown funk, and jazz with political commentary. Every modern afrobeats artist builds on that foundation, whether they cite him or not.
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Tems: Writing Music Helps Me Heal, Release Pain
Tems says writing music helps me heal, release pain – tems reveals her creative catharsis in a new interview. Read how she turns heartbreak into art.
Tems just said the quiet part out loud. In a new interview with EE72 Magazine, the Grammy-winning singer and songwriter admitted that writing music helps me heal, release pain – tems put it plainly, and it landed like a confession from someone who has been through it. “Writing music helps me release pain and it helps me to heal,” she told the magazine. “By the time I am done, everything I felt, it is gone. I can let the whole situation go. I can forgive. I can move on.”
That is not a throwaway quote. It is a working method. And for an artist whose catalog runs on emotional precision, it explains why her songs hit the way they do.
What Tems Actually Said About Music As Therapy
The Nigerian star, born Temilade Openiyi, did not frame music as a career move in this conversation. She framed it as a release valve. According to Daily Post, Tems explained that the aftereffect of writing is what makes it therapeutic. The pain does not just get expressed. It gets expelled.
That distinction matters. Plenty of artists say they “channel” pain into art. Tems is describing something closer to a full reset. By the time she finishes a song, the feeling is gone. Not managed. Gone.
She also spoke about being unapologetic regarding her art and herself. “I am not trying to prove who I am,” she said. “I know what is for me and what is not for me. I am trying to take everything in and make the best of every single moment.”
Read that again. No defensiveness. No performance. Just a woman who has stopped auditioning for approval.
Why This Hits Different In Afrobeats
Afrobeats has no shortage of bangers about enjoyment, money, and motion. Tems operates in a different lane. Her writing has always leaned into interiority — the kind of lyrics that make you sit with yourself instead of the club.
That is not an accident. If writing music helps me heal, release pain – tems is describing a process that prioritizes honesty over hits. The hits came anyway. A Grammy, global features, and a voice that producers fight to sample.
But the healing part is the engine. Without it, the songs would be hollow.
Compare her approach to another artist who recently opened up about emotional catharsis. Karol G told Rolling Stone that she retreated to Hawaii for a month and two weeks, sat alone in her room, and wrote constantly. “As an artist and as a composer, you really experience a lot of catharsis through music,” Karol said. Two different genres, two different continents, same conclusion: the notebook is cheaper than therapy and often more effective.
What This Means For Fans Waiting On New Tems Music
If Tems is writing to release pain, then every project she drops is a document of something she survived. That raises the stakes. You are not just hearing songs. You are hearing the residue of a process that already did its job for her.
She does not need your validation. She already got what she needed from the writing itself.
That is a strange position for a fan. You want the music. She needed the music. The transaction is uneven, and she seems fine with that.
The Broader Conversation Around Artists And Mental Health
Tems is not the first Nigerian artist to talk about pressure. The industry is brutal — streaming numbers, comparison culture, and a fanbase that demands constant output. Add public scrutiny and it becomes a lot.
Even the arguments around artists get messy. A separate report from Daily Post detailed how social media personality Gehgeh accused VeryDarkMan VDM of treating Davido as an enemy because of his friendship with Burna Boy. Gehgeh called VDM’s reported warning to Davido “wrong in all ramifications.” The point is not the feud itself. The point is the noise. Artists live inside a constant storm of opinions, allegiances, and attacks.
Writing is Tems’s exit door. Not a marketing strategy. Not a brand extension. A way out.
What She Is Not Saying
Tems did not announce a new album in this interview. She did not confirm a release date or tease a single. This has not been officially confirmed, and fans should not treat it as a rollout.
What she did confirm is a mindset. The unapologetic part is not a pose. It reads like someone who has already made peace with the fact that not everyone will get it.
That is rare. Most artists spend entire careers chasing the approval she says she is not looking for.
Should Fans Listen To Tems Differently Now?
Yes. Not because the music changes, but because the context does. When you know that writing music helps me heal, release pain – tems is not a slogan but a practice, the songs become evidence. Every verse about heartbreak, distance, or release is a scar that closed.
Start with her most emotionally exposed tracks. Listen for the moments where the writing sounds like it was not meant for you. Those are the ones that did the work.
The next time Tems drops something, remember this interview. She is not giving you her pain. She already let it go. You are just hearing what was left behind.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Tems say about writing music?
Tems said writing music helps her release pain and heal. She explained that by the time she is done, the feelings are gone and she can forgive and move on.
Did Tems announce a new album?
No. Tems did not announce a new album or release date in this interview. She only discussed her creative process and mindset.
Where did Tems make these comments?
Tems made these comments in a recent interview with EE72 Magazine, as reported by Daily Post.
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Grian Chatten Solo Album: Will It Be Festival-Ready?
Grian Chatten solo album is coming. The Fontaines D.C. frontman says it’ll be lively and festival-ready. Fans debate: solo or band first?
Grian Chatten is planning another solo album. And Fontaines D.C. fans are already split on whether that’s a gift or a threat.
The frontman told MOJO that he’s got a few tunes and a clear idea for a follow-up to 2023’s Chaos For The Fly. His vision? “A lot more lively and a bit more kind of festival-ready.” That’s a direct quote from the NME report, and it’s already sparking debates in group chats from Dublin to Detroit.
Here’s the context. Fontaines D.C. just dropped their fifth album, Dopamine Chamber, and they’re about to spend most of 2026 and 2027 on the road. A massive North American tour kicks off in April 2027, with stops in Boston, Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles. They’re also hitting Europe, plus festivals in Argentina, Chile, and Colombia. The band is busy. Very busy.
So when Chatten says he’s “still writing a lot of music” and that it “starts to stack up,” fans are asking the obvious question: when exactly is he going to make this Grian Chatten solo album?
Side A: Let The Man Cook
The pro-solo crowd has a strong case. Chaos For The Fly was a critical success. NME gave it four stars and called it “a stirring, spotless debut.” Chatten himself said the solo project helped him reconnect with his own identity separate from the band. “It was like taking a picture of the band and putting a line around me,” he told NME in 2023.
More importantly, that solo album directly influenced Fontaines’ fourth record, Romance. Chatten said making Chaos For The Fly put him in “a much better place” and that it shaped the band’s next move. If solo work makes the band better, why stand in the way?
And let’s not forget: the man is a creative machine. He’s been writing poetry, collaborating with Kneecap, joining The Pogues onstage in Dublin for “Streams Of Whiskey,” and working with Rosalía on the Dopamine Chamber track “Where Is Gone?” He called that collaboration a “career high.” Idle hands are not a problem here.
Side B: Don’t Break The Momentum
The anti-solo faction isn’t just being selfish. They’re worried about timing. Fontaines D.C. are on an absolute tear. Dopamine Chamber got a five-star review from NME. They’ve got Grammy nominations. They’re headlining Reading & Leeds and Electric Picnic. The band is reaching new audiences with every release.
Taking a solo detour now could kill that momentum. Chatten even admitted the band plans to “go away for a while” after this album cycle. “The best place we can go from here is away for a while,” he told MOJO. “Take a bit of stock, and give people a break from us.” That sounds like a pause, not a pivot.
Plus, there’s the practical issue. A “festival-ready” solo album means a solo tour. That means more time away from Fontaines. Fans who just bought tickets for the 2027 North American dates might start wondering if they’ll get the full band experience or a exhausted frontman saving his energy for his own shows.
Writer’s Take: Both Sides Are Right
Here’s the thing. Chatten isn’t choosing between solo and band. He’s doing both. And that’s exactly what makes Fontaines D.C. interesting.
The man is clearly not a robot. He needs creative outlets. He’s said as much. “When you do a fair bit of writing, and it doesn’t go anywhere, and it starts to stack up, you want it to go somewhere,” he explained. A solo album is a pressure valve. It keeps him sane. It keeps him inspired. And inspired Chatten is good for everyone.
But the timing matters. If the solo album drops in the middle of a massive Fontaines tour cycle, it could dilute both projects. The smart move? Wait until the band’s break. Chatten said they’re planning downtime after Dopamine Chamber. That’s the window.
Also, let’s be real about the “festival-ready” comment. That’s a departure from Chaos For The Fly, which was introspective, acoustic, and heavy on strings. A lively, festival-ready solo record could be amazing. It could also sound like Fontaines D.C. with a different name. That’s the risk. The line between solo project and band album gets blurry fast.
Why This Matters
Fontaines D.C. are one of the few guitar bands that still matter in 2026. They’ve evolved from post-punk poets to something stranger and more ambitious. Chatten’s solo work is part of that evolution, not a distraction from it.
But fans have a right to be protective. We’ve seen frontmen go solo and never come back. We’ve seen bands fracture under the weight of individual egos. That’s not happening here, at least not yet. Chatten has been clear that Fontaines is his home. The solo stuff is a side quest.
Still, the debate is real. Do you want Chatten to follow his muse wherever it leads? Or do you want him to keep the main thing the main thing?
There’s no wrong answer. But there is a vote. Drop yours in the comments. And if you’re planning to see Fontaines D.C. on their 2027 North American tour, grab tickets soon. They’re already selling fast. According to Rolling Stone, some shows are sold out or limited. Resale sites like StubHub and SeatGeek have options, but prices are climbing.
One more thing. If you haven’t heard “Where Is Gone?” yet, fix that. The Rosalía duet is a stunner. It’s also proof that Chatten’s creative instincts are sharper than ever. Whether he’s making a Grian Chatten solo album or a Fontaines record, he’s not running out of ideas.
The only question is where those ideas land. Your move, Grian. We’re listening.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Grian Chatten releasing a new solo album?
Yes, he has said he’s planning another solo album. In an interview with MOJO, he mentioned he has a few tunes and wants it to be ‘a lot more lively’ and ‘festival-ready.’ No release date has been confirmed.
When did Grian Chatten’s first solo album come out?
His debut solo album, Chaos For The Fly, was released in 2023. It received a four-star review from NME.
Will Fontaines D.C. go on hiatus for Grian Chatten’s solo album?
Chatten has said the band plans to take a break after their Dopamine Chamber album cycle, but no official hiatus has been confirmed. They have a massive 2027 tour scheduled.
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