Chapter 722: Recording Album III

Dayo arrived at the studio earlier than he had the previous morning. Wayne was already there, listening to the recordings from the first two sessions while one of the engineers checked the equipment. A few members of the team were gathered near the mixing desk, discussing something on the computer, but they paused to greet him when he walked in.

He returned their greetings and placed his bag beside his chair. The first two songs had gone well, although the second had taken more out of him than he had expected. He had known it would be difficult to record, but putting the lyrics into music had brought back feelings he had thought he could keep at a distance while working. The recording was complete now, and he was ready to continue with the next part of the album.

Wayne moved away from the desk and handed him a pair of headphones. "I listened to the first two again last night. The second one still gets to me."

Dayo took the headphones and placed them around his neck. "You can take a break from listening to it, you know. You don’t have to keep putting yourself through that."

"I’m the head of production. Listening to the songs is part of my job."

"That’s not what I meant."

"I know." Wayne smiled and returned to his seat. "I’m alright. I just think people will have a lot to say when they hear the album. The first song gives them one feeling, then the second takes them somewhere completely different."

Dayo looked towards the recording booth, where an engineer was making a final adjustment. "That’s how I want it. I don’t want all twelve songs to sound as though they’re telling the same story. Each one has something different behind it."

Wayne opened the project file and checked the arrangement for the third track. He had heard Dayo explain the general direction of the album, but he was beginning to understand it better through the recordings. The first song had been about the ordinary moments Dayo shared with Luna and Jennifer, the kind of happiness that came from spending time with his family. The second had taken them into the day Jennifer went missing and the fear that followed when Dayo realised his daughter had been taken.

The third song would continue from there, but it would focus on a different part of that experience.

They reviewed the instrumental together before Dayo entered the booth. The arrangement was already close to what he wanted, so they only made a small adjustment to one section. Once they were satisfied, the engineer gave him the signal, and Dayo positioned himself in front of the microphone.

The lyrics were familiar to him. He had written them weeks earlier, during the month he spent working on the album, but reading them again brought back the uncertainty of those days. The second song had dealt with the moment he realised Jennifer was missing. This one was about everything that followed, when he was searching for answers and had no idea where his daughter was or what was happening to her.

As the instrumental began, Dayo closed his eyes briefly before starting the first verse. His delivery was controlled, but there was a clear weight behind the words. He didn’t try to make every line sound painful. Some parts were quieter, while others carried the frustration of someone who had spent too long waiting for information that never seemed to come.

Wayne watched from the control room as the first take progressed. He paid attention to the way Dayo handled the pauses between the lines, particularly in the second verse. The song needed to sound uncertain without becoming difficult to follow, and Dayo seemed to understand that balance.

When the instrumental stopped, Dayo removed one side of his headphones and looked through the glass.

"Can we play that back?"

Wayne turned towards the engineer, who brought up the recording. Everyone listened as Dayo’s voice came through the speakers. He stood beside the booth, following the lyrics and paying particular attention to the second verse. When the playback ended, he remained quiet for a moment before returning to the control room.

"That part needs something," he said, pointing towards the screen. "I don’t think I gave it enough."

Wayne leaned closer to the desk. "What are you hearing?"

"The uncertainty. I remember how it felt not knowing anything. Every time someone called, I wanted to believe they had found something, but most of the time there was nothing useful." Dayo looked at the lyrics again. "I don’t want to sing it as though I already knew how things would end."

Wayne considered what he had said before asking the engineer to return to the section. "Then let’s try it again. Don’t change the words. Give yourself a little more room in that part."

Dayo went back into the booth. The second take was better because he allowed the pauses to remain instead of filling them with vocal runs. He didn’t force his voice to sound distressed, but the frustration was there in the way he delivered certain lines. When the recording ended, he listened to the playback again and agreed that it was closer to what he had imagined.

One of the newer engineers from the former MK Label spoke after the recording. He had initially been among those who questioned why Dayo wanted to make the entire album without featured artists, but the sessions had given him a better understanding of the decision.

"The second song was about the fear of losing her," he said already forming the storyline of the song in his head. "This one feels like the waiting afterwards, when you’re trying to find her but you don’t know where to start."

"That’s part of it," Dayo replied. "There were days when I couldn’t do anything except wait for someone to tell me something. You keep trying to find a way forward, but you don’t know what you’re walking towards."

The engineer looked back at the screen and nodded. He was beginning to understand that Dayo wasn’t trying to impress anyone with complicated vocals. He wanted the listener to understand the feelings behind the words, even if they knew nothing about the events that had inspired them even he felt the ich to ask what was the reason for the song but he found a way to hold himself back.

They took a short break before moving to the fourth song. Dayo drank some water while Wayne reviewed the next arrangement. The instrumental needed a little attention, so they adjusted the opening section and listened to it again before Dayo went into the booth.

This track was different from the previous three. It dealt with the period when Luna left him after Jennifer’s kidnapping, a time when Dayo had been trying to cope with the possibility of losing his daughter while also facing the reality that his relationship with Luna had broken down.

He remembered the warnings she had given him about Michael and Silas. Luna had wanted him to deal with them, but he had delayed. When she discovered that the two men were responsible for Jennifer’s kidnapping, she was furious. From her point of view, he had been given enough warning and had failed to act before things became serious. With their daughter missing and the situation growing harder to bear, Luna had reached a point where she needed to get away from him.

It had been a genuine separation. She had not simply walked out during an argument or threatened to end their relationship because she wanted him to understand how upset she was. She had needed space, and Dayo had been left to face the possibility that he might lose both his daughter and the woman he loved.

The song didn’t mention Luna by name or explain every detail of what had happened between them. Dayo had no intention of turning the lyrics into a full account of their private lives. He wanted to capture what it felt like to return home and realise that someone who had always been part of his daily life was no longer there. He also wanted the song to carry the knowledge that Luna’s decision had not come without a reason.

Wayne noticed that Dayo was taking longer to get ready for this recording. He didn’t question him or ask him to explain what he was thinking. Instead, he checked the microphone level and waited until Dayo was ready.

"Are we good?" Dayo asked through the talkback.

"We’re good. Take your time."

The first take began well, but Dayo stopped before the final section. He removed his headphones and asked to start again, explaining that he had rushed through a part that needed more space. Wayne agreed, and the engineer returned the recording to the beginning.

On the second take, Dayo’s voice carried a different kind of sadness. It wasn’t the fear that had filled the earlier songs. This was about living without someone he had expected to share his life with, knowing that the distance between them had not appeared without a reason. He didn’t try to make himself sound like the victim. The song held his pain, but it also acknowledged that some of what had happened came from choices he had made.

When the recording ended, Wayne looked at the screen and listened to the final few seconds again. The others in the control room remained quiet until Dayo stepped out of the booth.

"Let’s hear it," Dayo said.

They played the recording from the beginning. Wayne followed the lyrics, paying particular attention to the final verse. He knew about the separation because Dayo had told him what happened, although he hadn’t been there and didn’t know every detail. The song gave him a better understanding of the part Dayo had struggled to explain when they first spoke about it.

After the playback, Wayne turned towards him. "I think you got it."

Dayo sat down beside him. "You don’t think the last verse is too much?"

"No. I think it’s honest. You didn’t make it sound like she left for no reason, and you didn’t try to make yourself look better than you were."

"That wasn’t what I wanted."

"I know. That’s why I think it works."

Dayo listened to the final section once more before agreeing to keep the take. They made a few minor adjustments to the instrumental and saved the recording. Four songs were now complete, leaving eight more to record.

The newer engineers were beginning to understand the way Dayo worked. He listened when someone had a suggestion, and he didn’t make anyone feel foolish for asking questions. At the same time, he knew what he wanted from each song. If a change didn’t serve the music, he explained why they should leave it alone. They had worked under a different management style before the acquisition, and it was taking them some time to adjust to a leader who could be firm without making everyone around him uncomfortable.

What surprised him the most was the amount of people that were in the recording artist producer managers and some staff came to watch Dayo record and they all kept quite but where enjoying the whole process, this was another surprise he couldn’t wrap his head around on.

Wayne checked the day’s recordings before closing the project. "Four songs down. We’re moving well."

"We still have eight," Dayo replied as he collected his things.

"Eight more. At this rate, we’ll get through them."

"Let’s see how the next ones go before you start celebrating."

Wayne laughed and saved the project. They spent a little longer discussing the next session before Dayo left the studio. He checked his phone and saw a message from Luna asking whether he would be home for dinner. He replied that he was already on his way, then put the phone away as Max drove out of the compound.

By the time he arrived home, Jennifer was in the living room with Luna. A few toys had been scattered across the rug, and Jennifer was sitting between them, trying to fit one of the pieces into a small container. She looked towards the entrance when she heard Dayo’s voice.

"Daddy’s home," Luna said.

Jennifer immediately dropped the toy she was holding and reached out. "Da-da!"

Dayo placed his bag on a nearby chair and went over to pick her up. She grabbed the front of his shirt and began making excited sounds, as though she had several things to tell him before he could even sit down. He kissed her cheek and carried her towards the sofa.

"Have you been keeping Mummy busy?" he asked.

Jennifer answered with a string of babbling sounds before pointing towards the toys on the floor. Dayo followed her finger and picked up one of them. She reached for it immediately, making a small sound when he held it just beyond her reach.

"Alright, I see. You want me to play with you."

Luna watched them for a moment before returning to the things she had been arranging on the table. "She’s been waiting for you. Whenever she hears a car outside, she looks towards the door."

Dayo sat down with Jennifer on his lap. "I wasn’t going to stay late today."

"How was the recording?"

"We got two more songs done."

Luna looked at him. "So that’s four now?"

"Yes. The third and fourth."

"How did they go?"

"Good. They were a little different from the first two, but we got what we needed. Wayne is happy with the progress."

"I’m glad." Luna picked up her phone from the table. "You must be getting closer to the end now."

"Not quite. We still have eight songs, and I don’t want to rush them."

She smiled at him. "I know. I’m still waiting to hear everything when it’s finished."

Dayo remembered that he had once offered to let her listen to the songs as he recorded them. She had refused because she wanted to hear the complete album from beginning to end. He had accepted her decision, although he was curious about what she would think when she finally heard the music.

"You’re really going to make me wait until the last day?" she asked.

"Yes. You said you wanted me to hear the finished album, so that’s what I’m going to do."

He laughed. "Alright. I’ll keep my mouth shut."

Jennifer began tapping his watch, so Dayo gently moved her hand away and gave her one of the toys. They spent the next few minutes playing on the rug while Luna finished arranging the table. When dinner was ready, she called them over, and Dayo carried Jennifer to her seat before joining her.

They had barely started eating when Luna mentioned the show she had spoken about earlier. She had been in touch with her friend, and the arrangements were coming together. Dayo asked whether everything had been settled, and she explained that they were still sorting out a few details.

"Is it the same friend you told me about?" he asked.

"Yes. She’s the one I said I wanted to help. She called me again today, and we spoke for a while."

Dayo continued eating while she explained that her friend was pleased she had agreed to attend. Luna then mentioned something else she had wanted to tell him.

"There’s actually another thing," she said. "My friend would like to meet you."

Dayo looked at her with interest. "Me?"

"Yes, you. She knows about you, obviously, but she said she’d like to meet you in person she is also an artist and a fan of yours."

A smile appeared on his face. He was genuinely pleased by the idea, especially because this was someone Luna knew well enough to help with her show. "I’d be happy to meet her. Why didn’t you tell me earlier?"

"I only found out today that she wanted to meet you. I thought I should mention it before the show."

"That’s fine. We can arrange it. I’d like to meet the person you’ve been talking about."

Luna seemed pleased with his response. "I’ll tell her. She’ll be happy to hear that."

"Just let me know when she wants to meet. I’ll make time."

They continued eating, and the conversation moved on to other things. Dayo asked how the rest of Luna’s day had gone, while she wanted to know whether he had been taking breaks at the studio. He admitted that he had spent most of the day working, but he had managed to eat something between the sessions.

After dinner, they returned to the living room with Jennifer. She was becoming sleepy, although she still tried to resist whenever Luna reached to take her upstairs. Dayo carried her for a while, letting her rest against his chest as he walked around the room. Her fingers gradually loosened around his shirt, and her movements became slower until she finally settled.

Luna watched him bring Jennifer towards her. "She’s almost asleep."

"I noticed."

He handed Jennifer to her carefully, and Luna carried their daughter upstairs. Dayo followed after putting away the toys they had left on the rug. Once Jennifer was settled, they returned to their room and spent some time talking about the coming days. Luna reminded him not to let the recording sessions take over every part of his schedule, and he assured her that he was still making time for them.

He was looking forward to meeting her friend, and he was glad Luna had told him about it. They would work out the arrangements once she had spoken to her again. For the moment, he was content to leave the matter there and enjoy the rest of the evening with her.

The following morning, he would return to the studio with four songs behind him and eight still waiting. The first part of the album had taken him through the ordinary happiness of family life, the fear of losing Jennifer, the helplessness of searching for her, and the pain of losing Luna during that same period. The remaining songs would take him further, towards the separation, his visit to Aweta, the white horse, and the effort it had taken to find his way back to the woman he loved.

For now, he was home with Luna and Jennifer. The next recording session could wait until morning.