Justin Bieber & Omah Lay - Attention (Official Video)

Omah Lay Talks Reuniting With Justin Bieber and Bringing More ‘Attention’ to Afrobeats Music

Afrobeats singer Omah Lay and Justin Bieber get the party started with their brand new collaboration “Attention,” which was released on Friday (March 4) via SIRE/Warner Records.

The pair ride the rhythm of the sensual and vibrant Afrobeats crossover track’s sizzling hi-hats, bouncy percussion and purring pop synth riffs, courtesy of the song’s producers Harv (Bieber’s frequent collaborator) and Avedon, as the singers repeatedly coo in the chorus, “Show me a little attention.” Bieber packs in big vibes when he asks, “Should I drink up/ Smoke up?/ I need some/ freedom/ Freedom, ah! in my life,” while Omah effortlessly lets the last word of each line roll off his tongue to the point where it’s more felt than heard. The song is already being promoted to U.S. pop radio starting on Monday, March 7.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kF4QRGQM2ig

“I was in the studio one day with Harv,” Omah tells Billboard about his “Attention” recording session during his second trip to Los Angeles. “As soon as I heard the beat, the lyrics were already in my head. We didn’t even spend 30 minutes making the song. Harv called him and I FaceTimed Justin Bieber for the first time in my life. Later on, Harv got to play the song for him, and … before I knew it, he sent in his verse and the song was good just like that.”

This isn’t the first time Bieber has made a splash sauntering into Afrobeats territory in the last year. Last August, he hopped on the remix of Wizkid’s “Essence,” featuring Tems, and helped catapult the sultry 2021 summer anthem into the top 10 region of the Billboard Hot 100. The Biebs previously had added Omah and Nigerian singer-songwriter Alpha P on the “Masterkraft Remix” of his Hot 100-topping single “Peaches,” which originally featured Giveon and Daniel Caesar, last June. He also had recruited Afrofusion heavyweight Burna Boy for “Loved by You” on the “Triple Chucks” deluxe version of his Grammy-nominated album Justice last March. DJ Tay James, Bieber’s DJ and A&R, explained in an interview with Billboard last fall about how he helped orchestrate the “Essence” remix and how the Canadian superstar was keen on collaborating with African artists.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeMeopQqB6s

“It’s something I know Justin is [proud of] – he loves all types of music. He’s somebody that puts me on to everything,” James said at the time. “He put me onto Omah Lay. I never heard of Omah Lay until Justin came into rehearsals listening to him.”

The first time the Canadian pop sensation and Nigerian triple threat singer/songwriter/producer born Stanley Omah Didia link up in person for the first time is on a blistering cold winter’s night at Big Sky Movie Ranch, a 7,000-plus acre private movie ranch in Simi Valley, Calif., to film the “Attention” music video, directed by Bieber’s frequent collaborator Colin Tilley. The two share a warm embrace by the simulated bonfire — but the connection between Omah and Bieber, who are wearing complimentary black and red ensembles with backwards baseball caps, is palpable. “I didn’t even know he was the one. I was expecting him, and by the time I knew there was someone right in front of me, it was Justin. I was like, ‘Oop! Oh yo!’” Omah exclaims with a laugh while describing their synergy. “One thing I loved about working with Justin Bieber was how easy it was. I didn’t even expect it to be that simple.”