Fireboy DML’s ‘ZUKO’: Everything We Know So Far

Fireboy DML has long been compared to Zuko, the Avatar: The Last Airbender character whose story moves from exile and self-discovery to eventually finding his place as a leader. For the fifth album of Fireboy’s seven-year career, he has now taken the name for himself.

The rollout of ZUKO already hints at an album that could lean into the more swashbuckling, extroverted side of his music, much like his 2022 Playboy era. Its first release, “CLAAT!” featuring Jamaican dancehall singer Masicka, leans into the body, dancing and the Caribbean expression “bomboclaat,” giving the project an immediately energetic introduction. It recalls the kind of dancehall-influenced energy heard on “Champion,” the D Smoke-assisted intro from his 2020 album APOLLO.

The second release, “IMALI,” takes the project somewhere different. The amapiano-leaning record has already earned a Top 20 entry on the Official Nigeria Top 100, becoming Fireboy DML’s 25th Top 20 entry on the chart, while also giving JAZZWRLD his fourth and Thukuthela his second.

Two songs in, ZUKO is already pointing towards a broader Afrocentric palette. Fireboy has brought in artistes from different parts of the continent and beyond, so the remaining 11 tracks could leave room for more international collaborations alongside some homegrown names.

It also fits an interesting pattern in Fireboy’s album catalogue. His projects have often moved between introspective, sensual records and more colourful, experimental alter-egos, with Playboy representing one of his more outward-facing phases. ZUKO appears to be entering that conversation too, but the unreleased tracks will show whether Fireboy is revisiting an old version of himself or building something new from it.

For now, two songs have given us the first clues. The rest of ZUKO should tell us just how far Fireboy wants to take them.