When I first began thinking about a title for this album, I had several ideas.

One of the earliest was Shitta boy—a name that represented where I come from and the environment that helped shape me. At the time, it felt like the right way to introduce the project and tell people something about my background.

This album has taken more than two years to complete. Those who have followed me closely may have seen me mention it several times on Instagram. I would share updates, post snippets and speak about releasing it, but for different reasons, I never fully brought the project to the finish line.

Then life changed.

In November 2024, I lost my mother. I also experienced the loss of someone I considered very special—someone I held close to my heart.

Those experiences forced me to pause and look inward. I realised I needed to return to myself, not only as an artist, but as a person. I had to work on my wellbeing, rediscover my purpose and reconnect with the reasons I started making music in the first place.

Part of that journey involved returning to my roots as a producer and making my own beats again.

I have always created music, but because I am not a fully trained instrumentalist, developing complete melodies could sometimes be a slow process. There were times when it would take me almost a week to create a meaningful eight-bar melody that I could build and loop into a song.

That changed when Omo Frenchy introduced me to different ways of finding and working with royalty-free samples and melodies. I have to thank him for sharing that knowledge with me, because it completely changed the playing field.

Suddenly, I was able to work more freely. I returned to older ideas, created new records and allowed each song to reflect my mood, experiences and emotions at the time.

As the project developed, I realised that Shitta no longer fully represented what the album had become.

This was no longer only about where I came from.

It was about who I am.

Oluwatosin is my real name, and choosing it as the title became my way of making a clear statement:

I am here. I am Oluwatosin. I am 705.

This album represents grief, healing, growth, creativity and determination. It reflects the journey of rebuilding myself while continuing to believe in my music and my purpose.

More than anything, Oluwatosin is me refusing to be moved from the path I believe I am meant to follow.

I have faced setbacks. I have experienced loss. I have questioned the journey. But I am still here, still creating and still moving forward.

The only direction from here is up.

This is me. This is Oluwatosin. This is 705.