Shutdown to Shutout: The Story of Black Hibiscus

In the spring of 2020 at a Blood Orange concert, Jayjay Ugbe was told by a friend to start making his own music because of his great ear. He looks not only for music that sounds good, but art that has the ability, as he says, to “transcend taste in a way where you can feel what they’re trying to communicate.”

 While flattered by his friend, Ugbe ultimately brushed it off as a passing comment. Why? Because as an Industrial Design major at Georgia Tech already involved in various entrepreneurial initiatives, he did not have much time to dive into a new pursuit. But a few days later, he suddenly had all the time in the world. 

The COVID-19 pandemic upended the typical college experience and forced students across the globe to continue studies virtually for the foreseeable future. For Ugbe, the pandemic meant returning to Nigeria for eight months—the longest period of time he had been home since he began his boarding school days at the age of 13. During those eight months, he dedicated hours to his friend’s once minor comment. He began to study the inner workings of GarageBand, a free Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) offered on Mac computers, in addition to his Yamaha Pacifica 112, or what he fondly calls his “fake Telecaster.” Ugbe has been playing the guitar since he was twelve,teaching himself the fundamentals via Youtube, but considers himself to be an amateur at best. 

Aside from standard piano lessons as a youth, Ugbe did not have significant exposure to music growing up, and neither of his parents were involved in music. However, they noticed their son’s budding interest, and soon after gifted him a Behringer B2 Pro microphone, as well as a bass and Telecaster. When I asked him about those beginning stages, Ugbe laughed. The first few songs were rough, to say the least. Despite the subpar quality, he says he had a strong desire to share what he had made with his friends. “My operating principle with anything is: even if it’s not good, just put it out.” And over time, he did just that. 

Under the moniker Black Hibiscus, Ugbe has released music heavily inspired by his favorite artists such as Steve Lacy, Nick Hakim, and of course Blood Orange. He prioritizes being able to enjoy the music he makes, which is inherently similar to other music that he listens to. To do so, he’d pick a song, deconstruct it, then put it back together with his own spin; rather than starting his journey in isolation Ugbe sought to piece together elements he’s heard for years. Such practice has made him better at drawing influence from entirely different discographies and genres to incorporate into his own work. “People like JPEGMAFIA and Arca, where there’s incredibly intricate, almost confusing and unpleasant production, it’s just a lot in your face at once, where a new thing is happening every second,” he said, “I think that kind of stuff…eventually I want to make music like that.” Both aforementioned artists are known for their innovative use of unsuspecting yet advantageous sounds, a skill Ugbe hopes to master. 

Finally back in the States, Ugbe decided to upgrade his recording setup. He purchased a pair of stereo monitors and a synthesizer in addition to switching to Logic, a more advanced version of GarageBand. With this upgrade came an improvement in his music, allowing Ugbe to begin performing at open mics throughout this summer in New York City. Here he  met his manager, Dennis Franklin CC’23. Ugbe soon found himself performing in front of a gathering of about 50 people at a social event in Martha’s Vineyard — his largest audience yet. As an audience member I remember his performance garnering high praise, but Ugbe remembers it differently. “When my voice cracked at the very beginning of the song I was like damn, I’m not him, I’m not him yet! And I think it was necessary — to remind me that there’s still a lot of work to be done in every area of what I do.” Following this summer experience, he looks to perform more frequently in and around campus. If the opportunity to tour arises, Ugbe wants to be ready.

And with his new debut album, that reality may be true in no time. Released on Nov. 4th, The End of the World explores what the end of the world means to different people, primarily focusing on the experience of losing someone’s love. Ubge says he was inspired by characters from his favorite movie, City of God. He was also influenced by icons Basquiat and Nina Simone, who each receive their own tracks on the album. These two, Basquiat and Ninasimone, join my list of favorites alongside the second track Love. All three feature dreamy guitars, soothing synths, and spacious vocals from Ugbe — yet each produce their own unique sound. 

Already amassing over 10K views on Youtube, Spotify, and other platforms, The End of the World is striking a chord with listeners, including various online publications. Ugbe attributes his success with Black Hibiscus to his dedication and intuition. “This applies to almost every creative thing I do. Whenever you’re entering a new space, I think the most important thing is taste and hard work. I think if you have good taste for something you have a benchmark for yourself as to what to aim for.”