"Flavor" (also spelt "Flavour") is a song recorded by Nigerian singer

Iyanya Iyanya Onoyom Mbuk (born 31 October 1986), known by his stage name Iyanya, is a Nigerian Afropop recording artist. Career He rose to fame after winning the first season of ''Project Fame West Africa'' and is best known for his hit single " Kuk ...

for his second studio album, ''

Desire Desires are states of mind that are expressed by terms like "wanting", "wishing", "longing" or "craving". A great variety of features is commonly associated with desires. They are seen as propositional attitudes towards conceivable states of aff ...

'' (2013). It was released as the record's third commercial single on 10 November 2012 through Made Men Music Group, a record label he co-owns with his manager, Franklin Ube. Written by the singer and produced by long-time collaborator D'Tunes, "Flavor" is a

highlife Highlife is a music genre that started in present-day Ghana in the 19th century, during its Gold Coast (British colony), history as a colony of the British Empire and through its trade routes in coastal areas. It describes multiple local fusions ...

and pop-influenced song. It features Iyanya questioning his lover through repetitive lyrics. The single received generally positive reviews from contemporary

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...

; a reviewer from ''Pulse'' congratulated Iyanya's grooviness while another provided an explanation for its success. An accompanying music video for "Flavor" was released on 24 December 2012 and features the singer performing and dancing through a

shopping centre A shopping center (American English) or shopping centre ( Commonwealth English), also called a shopping complex, shopping arcade, shopping plaza or galleria, is a group of shops built together, sometimes under one roof. The first known colle ...

and a nightclub in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. Iyanya has also performed the single on several occasions, including on his 2013 promotional tours for ''Desire''.

Background and composition

"Flavor" was first released on 10 November 2012 as the third single from his then-upcoming second studio album, ''

'' (2013); a version of the song featuring non-explicit lyrics was released a few months later on 6 March, also in 2013. Made Men Music Group covered the release, which the singer co-owned with his manager, Franklin Ube. In an interview with ''

Vanguard The vanguard (also called the advance guard) is the leading part of an advancing military formation. It has a number of functions, including seeking out the enemy and securing ground in advance of the main force. History The vanguard derives fr ...

'', Iyanya noted that the track, in addition to a majority of the parent record, was inspired by his enjoyment of writing about his feelings in love songs; he also described that "Flavor" was one of his compositions to fall under the pop genre, following "

Kukere "Kukere" ( Efik: "Don't think/worry") is a song by Nigerian singer Iyanya. It was released as the lead single from his second studio album, ''Desire'' (2013). Upon its release, the song peaked at number 1 on Top FM's May Chart, Soundcity's Vie ...

" and "

Ur Waist "Ur Waist" is a song by Nigerian singer Iyanya. It was officially released as the second single from his second studio album, '' Desire'' (2013). The song features vocals from Emma Nyra. Music video The accompanying music video for "Ur Waist" wa ...

". Written by the singer and produced solely by long-time collaborator D'Tunes, "Flavor" is a song influenced by the

Highlife Highlife is a music genre that started in present-day Ghana in the 19th century, during its Gold Coast (British colony), history as a colony of the British Empire and through its trade routes in coastal areas. It describes multiple local fusions ...

genre. In the recording's lyrics, Iyanya is revealed as a man who is constantly questioning his lover's motives. Through the use of a "funkified" melody and beats, and the large addition of

strings String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...

, the singer performs several of its lyrics repetitively: "Omoge, what's your flavor? / Omoge, what's your flavor?".

Critical reception

"Flavor" was generally well received by contemporary

. A reviewer from ''Pulse'' was positive towards "Flavor" and claimed that it was unlikely that a fan of Iyanya has not yet "grooved" to the track. Additionally, Olumide Adesida stated that this led to the single being heavily played on Nigerian radio. Don Boye from

tooXclusive tooXclusive is a Nigerian music and review website. Launched in 2010 by Olutayo "Tyler" Duncan Sotubo. This website is notable for organizing its yearly tooXclusive Online Music Awards. They pride their establishment as the number one source f ...

claimed that the single proved Iyanya "is ending 2013 on a high note".

Accolades

The music video for "Flavor" was nominated for "Most Gifted Male Video" at the 2013

Channel O Music Video Awards Channel O Africa Music Video Awards, once known as Spirit of Africa Music Video Awards, are Pan-African music awards organised by South Africa -based Channel O television channel. The awards were first held in 2003 under the name Reel Music Video A ...

. However, Iyanya lost to Tswana rapper

Zeus Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label=Genitive case, genitive Aeolic Greek, Boeotian Aeolic and Doric Greek#Laconian, Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label=Genitive case, genitive el, Δίας, ''D� ...

for his 2013 single "#DatsWassup", featuring musicians Aka and Tumi.

Promotion

The accompanying music video for the single was shot in

by Moe Musa. It was released on 24 December 2012 through Iyanya's official

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

account. The video commences with footage from the live concert in which he asks the audience: "It's getting really hot in here, can I take my shirt off?". Several scenes display the singer loitering around a

, dancing in a nightclub, and driving around the city at night. He is also shown dancing with various female companions and hugging a few of his friends. The visual ends with Iyanya drinking

vodka Vodka ( pl, wódka , russian: водка , sv, vodka ) is a clear distilled alcoholic beverage. Different varieties originated in Poland, Russia, and Sweden. Vodka is composed mainly of water and ethanol but sometimes with traces of impuriti ...

around the aforementioned ladies. Boye appreciated the clip and Iyanya for ending the year off right. In 2013, Iyanya performed "Flavor" for the first time at a concert in

Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

to promote ''Desire''. The promotion business Cokobar helped fund the tour in collaboration with the singer's record label, Made Men Music Group. During the Music Festival Lagos 2015, held in

Lagos Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the List of cities in Africa by population, second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national ca ...

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

, Iyanya performed "Flavor" in addition to the album tracks "Gift" and " Sexy Mama". Ayomide O. Tayo from the Nigerian publication ''Pulse'' noted that his female fans in the crowd were delighted by both his appearance and the performance.

References

External links

* {{authority control 2012 singles 2012 songs Iyanya songs Song recordings produced by D'Tunes