Music—both its instrumental and lyrical elements—allows people to share truths that can’t be said in conversations, says Nigerian-born artist Buwa. He will be performing with award-winning Canadian singer Joëlle Rabu at the Anvil Theatre on April 11. Buwa sees their show, “Just the 2 of Us,” as a bridge between backgrounds, cultures and musical tastes—highlighting the power of music to connect people. 

“We go over all these different times in our lives, and we tie it with music from different eras and genres,” Buwa says. “[It] ends on a positive, high note.” 

Audiences can expect to hear a selection of the artists’ favourite songs across six decades, including Édith Piaf, Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Elton John and Whitney Houston. Broadway hits will also be performed, along with Buwa’s latest original piece.

Coming into sound 

This wide collection reflects the singers’ love for music. Buwa met Rabu after being introduced to her son through a mutual friend; the two singers quickly became friends.

“A few years ago, her son said, ‘Why don’t you and my mom sing live? You guys get along, you’re really good friends, you stick on each other’s jokes,’” says Buwa, recalling their widely different musical tastes. “The beautiful thing about it is that we connected so much over the music.”

After reflection, Buwa realized that their differences actually “melted together so well,” creating an on-stage presence filled with “good fun” banter. 

“It’s just us on stage, sharing ourselves, our stories, backgrounds, lives and music,” he adds. “Bringing them together and showing the audience it doesn’t matter where you’re from, what you are, what your background is, what your race is—we’re all human beings and we all connect over very similar things.” 

Buwa has always loved and known how to sing. He started singing in church choirs at an early age—building an “emotional connection” to music. After moving to Nanaimo in 2016, he sought other opportunities to develop his voice.  

“When I was in Nigeria, with my kind of voice, I was expected to sing in church,” he shares of being pigeon-holed into a particular style of singing. “[Nanaimo] gave me the option to explore, learn and try different things.” 

He sees this opportunity as making his music more “deep” and “sincere,” allowing for exploration of self-expression without any limits. Despite these explorations, Buwa—who identifies as a “contemporary soul singer”—still pays homage to his gospel roots. 

“It’s what taught me how to sing and makes me happy, but I’m also an R&B singer, [and] I love pop music and musical theatre,” he shares. “I’m able to bring and merge [all] that together, but there’s still that very clear gospel influence in my sound.” 

Released in 2019, Olu is Buwa’s first EP written in Canada. It conveys the musician’s stepping into himself—showcasing his unique sound, along with a growing confidence in his identity. 

“I’m going to write and do songs that I want to do, and that I think are nice for me,” he shares of the inspiration behind Olu. “[It was me] singing how I want to sing and doing videos that are very reflective of me and who I was at that time.” 

More than afrobeats 

His third EP, Just Call Me Buwa, was released in 2023. Buwa had been experiencing writer’s block for a year and a half when he heard the music for one of its tracks, “It Don’t Matter.”

“This is Buwa, and [he] likes a whole bunch of different music and styles, and he can be a bit of a diva,” he shares of the EP. 

Through his music, Buwa hopes to shift perspectives on African identity and sound—breaking what he calls “limiting” perspectives. 

“[People sometimes] put us in a box of how we should be, this recognition of what an African should be and what we sound like,” he says of the misconception that Africa is just one country. “Like everybody else in the world, we are a diverse [group] of people with diverse problems and issues.” 

This intention to broaden perspectives also applies to his music. Buwa’s music shows that there is more to African sounds than afrobeats—which has become popular outside of the continent. 

“I’d like my music to show that we’re not all the same, we don’t all sound the same, we don’t all make Afrobeats,” says the musician, adding he, too, is a fan of the genre. “We also make different types of music: we’re alternative, we’re R&B, we’re musical theatre, we’re soul—there’s a lot more to us than the contemporary afrobeats, pop dance music that tends to cross over from the continent.” 

He plans to tour around BC with upcoming shows, bringing what he calls “a warm hug” to audiences in the Comox Valley, Nanaimo, and other cities. 

For more information on the upcoming concert, see https://anviltheatre.ca/event/just-the-2-of-us/. 

For more information on Buwa, see https://buwa.ca/.