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Nigerian singer, songwriter, and writer June Sometimes has released his long-awaited debut album, Memories With Nostalgic Flaws; a deeply introspective body of work that captures the essence of growing up in Lagos and the bittersweet nostalgia that comes with it.
Born John Eni-ibukun, June Sometimes is widely regarded as one of the most promising voices in Nigeria’s creative scene. Before his full transition into music, he made his mark as a spoken word artist, performing under the moniker XIII June. He opened the first edition of Uyo’s acclaimed Echoes of Poetry event in 2018 and later became a semi-finalist in Lagos’ War of Words slam competition.
In 2022, he curated Drummr Africa’s collective album Yamen Yamen, where he appeared only in a raw, poetic closing piece titled I Have Made Peace With My Loneliness. Three years later, June has returned with a full-length musical statement that reintroduces him not just as a lyricist but as a sonic storyteller.
“To remember growing up in Nigeria is to remember all the ways you’ve become the person you are now,” June reflects.
Memories With Nostalgic Flaws is a coming-of-age narrative steeped in recollection and rediscovery. Across its songs, June paints vivid scenes of his early 2000s Lagos childhood, from playing sùwè and ten-ten in face-me-I-face-you compounds to forming football teams out of bottle tops and paper goals. The album is as much about joy as it is about reflection, balancing the innocence of youth with the weight of adulthood.
Sonically, the project is built on a unique palette of sound, weaving old family voice notes, retro toy and game effects, and cultural references from the 2000s and 2010s into textured musical storytelling. Some tracks nod to nursery rhymes and pop culture, while others explore self-awareness and growth through soulful melodies and layered production.
But Memories With Nostalgic Flaws is more than an album, it’s an experience. June Sometimes plans to launch it as an interactive game, inviting fans to engage through nostalgia-themed performances, giveaways, and experiential events. “The idea is to make everyone a part of the story,” he says. “It’s a shared memory, something we all lived through in different ways.”
In keeping with his community-driven vision, June is also designing a social impact program where he’ll teach painting and photography to students in public secondary schools across Lagos Mainland. Reflecting on his own artistic journey, he credits art exploration programs and school excursions for shaping his creative path.
With Memories With Nostalgic Flaws, June Sometimes is doing just that, using nostalgia as both a mirror and a map. It’s a musical time capsule for anyone who remembers what it meant to grow up Nigerian, flawed, hopeful, and forever in love with the past that shaped them.
