There’s power in how contemporary African art intersects with other creative realms but no musician has joined the dots quite like Mr Eazi. The Nigerian superstar descends on 1-54 London this week with ‘The Evil Genius’, a special project at the fair that pairs every song his forthcoming album with a unique artwork. Only a handful visitors at a time can enter the space where they will be able to don earphones and appreciate each pairing together. “I want the guests to experience the album in a multisensory way… It will teleport them into my mind and allow them to experience African art and music in a new way,” Mr Eazi tells us.

The interactive exhibition was debuted at Gallery 1957 in Accra last month, where it was warmly received. It’s a city close to Mr Eazi’s heart having studied and started his career there while shaping his now signature fusion sound. Of the show he recalls: “Over 70 percent of the people that came had never been to a gallery. That’s the whole point of this; democratising African art. Taking it to Lagos will be next. And when the album’s out, we’ll find more ways for broader audiences to have those interactions, too.”

As a musician and entrepreneur, Mr Eazi has collaborated with Beyoncé and J Balvin, stacked up over 4 billion streams and supports the next generation of musicians with his platform, emPawa Africa. But he didn’t lend his full attention to the art world until around five years ago when he encountered the Noldor Artist Residency in Accra. “That was the first time I realised that my creation process as a music artist was similar to that of a visual artist. I’d have an instrumental piece but not know what I’d sing about, while for the visual artist, the canvas is blank.” This ignited in him a burgeoning passion for exploring the obvious synergies between these practices. “The freedom I experience when I’m creating my music is something like the freedom these visual artists create from. I put melodies on a song and the first brush strokes happen, and then something from the subconscious has been brought to life.”

‘The Evil Genius’ album has been three years in the making and the results are steeped in emotive stories that are rich for art-making. “All manner of life experiences inspired the album – humility, divinity, love, loneliness and betrayal,” he explains. Once complete, he handpicked 13 artists – hailing from eight countries across Africa – and give each one a song. They’d discuss the feelings being expressed, and then “I gave them the freedom to create.” Key pairings include ‘Advice’ by Alpha ODH (Nairobi), ‘Notorious’ by Edozie Anedu (Lagos), ‘Fefe Ne Fefe’ by Samuel Tete-Katchan (Accra), ‘Legalize’ by Patricorel (Cotonou) and ‘Mandela’ by Tesprit (Lomé). The resulting paintings and drawing are as rich, varied and evocative as the album itself.

Naturally, Mr Eazi doesn’t intend to stop here. Now rolling, the possibilities for extending the concept to build more bridges between art and music are limitless. “If you’d had asked me two years ago if I’d ever be doing this kind of thing, I’d tell you no. So, I’m just going to go where my spirit take me,” he muses. “As a new lover of art, it’s like I’ve been placed in a candy store as I’m drawn to all different types of art. So, I want this project to say to my fans, you’re just like me. We are simple people but we can interact with art. It’s for everybody and it’s part of us.” Watch, listen and learn.