A Study of the Production Aesthetics of Contemporary Afrobeats Music in Lagos Studios

Afrobeats has become one of the most globally influential popular music genres of the early twenty-first century, and the sonic aesthetics and studio production practices that define its distinctive sound represent important creative arts research territory, particularly from the Lagos studio production perspective. This study examined the production aesthetics of contemporary Afrobeats music through fieldwork in professional recording studios in Lagos, South West Nigeria. A qualitative descriptive design was adopted, conducting structured interviews with twelve record producers, six audio engineers, and four music artists at studios in Lekki, Surulere, and Maryland, Lagos. Studio observation during four production sessions supplemented interview data. Interviews covered sonic philosophy, beat construction methods, cultural influence navigation, and the aesthetic decision-making process. Analysis identified four core Afrobeats sonic aesthetic principles: rhythmic percussion layering drawn from highlife and Afrobeat traditions, synthetic bass management adapted for smartphone speaker playback, melodic vocal production emphasising emotional intimacy, and cultural referencing through sampled traditional instrumentation. Producers described international audience palatability and domestic radio play optimisation as competing aesthetic pressures shaping production decisions. The increasing influence of UK and US engineering standards delivered through mixing and mastering partnerships was identified by all respondents. The study concludes that Afrobeats production aesthetics represents a sophisticated synthesis of global and indigenous sonic traditions and recommends formal documentation of production methodologies as heritage knowledge.

Keywords: Afrobeats, music production aesthetics, Lagos studio, popular music culture, sound design