Spotlight.
Segun Aniyi
INTRODUCTION
Segun Aniyi is an Edinburgh-based Afro R&B artist. He writes, produces, mixes and masters all his own work, and that self-sufficiency runs through everything he puts out, from the music itself to the way it is packaged and released. His sound draws on the range of music he grew up absorbing, shaped into something that sits in its own space. Since 2024, BBC Introducing Scotland has returned to his music across multiple programmes. He has performed across Scotland, including opening for internationally signed Nigerian artist Ruger. His debut EP All In arrived in November 2025 as the first complete expression of that vision. He is now finishing his second project, Tunnel Vision.
INTERVIEW
How did you get into your creative practice? What initially inspired you?
I think it started earlier than I sometimes give it credit for. I played instruments in school and was part of the choir, so music was always around me, but it was at university where it became something I was actively chasing. I started dabbling with guitar and music production, and I remember my favourite thing at that point was just trying to recreate songs I loved from the radio. Covers, reimagining’s, working out how things were built. That obsession gradually pulled me toward wanting to make something of my own rather than just reconstruct what already existed. The real turning point was 2022 when I performed at a cookout organised by Bamilek. I had been building privately for a while and had a few released songs, however performing live in front of people was different. That day the crowd reacted like they had never heard that kind of bounce before, and something about that response changed how I understood what I was making. It showed me my sound had its own space and from there I started treating this as something I was genuinely building.
What themes do you tend to interrogate in your creative practices?
I would say my writing sits between two different modes. There are songs that come from a very direct personal place. Love Is Overrated, which I wrote in 2024, came out of a dark period where I just needed to get everything I was feeling onto the record. That song is very honest in a way some of my others are not. I also write fictionally quite a bit, characters and scenarios I am constructing rather than confessing. I think the tension between those two ways of writing is something I keep returning to without always planning to.
What is your favourite project you’ve ever worked on and why?
I would say All In, without hesitation. It was the first time everything I had in my head actually came out the way I wanted it to. The music, the branding, the artwork, the rollout, the team, it all worked as one complete thing. I write, produce, mix and master everything myself, so that self-contained approach has always been part of how I work. But All In was where it finally felt executed rather than assembled. My team and I controlled every decision in it and I could see my full vision reflected back at me.
What advice would you have for creatives of colour looking to get into your creative practices?
I think the most practical thing I can say is learn to record yourself. Recording engineering is the bridge between an idea in your head and a finished song that actually exists. All the other advice, release consistently, build an identity, make connections, assumes you already have something ready to put out. So start there. Beyond that, I believe there is an audience for what you make. You do not need to water it down or fit it into what is already working. Release your music and build an identity alongside it. Think about your branding, your collaborations, the relationships you are investing in. And I think this is particularly important as a creative person of colour: know what you stand for and never be afraid to showcase your music at every given opportunity. My biggest shift came from a small cookout.
What are you currently working on?
Right now I am working on a project called Tunnel Vision. I would describe it as Afro R&B but with more deliberate production than anything I have released before. Every arrangement has a reason for being there. I wrote it as a direct account of where I am right now, not where I think people expect me to be. No release date confirmed yet but it is very close and I am looking forward to people hearing it.