There are collaborations, and then there are unions that feel inevitable. Peace by Piece is the latter. It isn’t just two artists guesting on each other’s songs, it’s a meeting of kindred creative spirits who’ve traveled parallel paths long enough to know exactly how to build something together.
Fireboy DML has always carried a certain emotional weight in his music: love, longing, self-reflection, hurt, healing. Across albums like LTG (Laughter, Tears & Goosebumps) and Adedamola, he’s become synonymous with earnest vulnerability.
Pheelz, meanwhile, is the sonic architect behind many of the melodies, moods, and spaces that have framed Fireboy’s voice over the years. His producer’s lens; always attentive to dynamics, texture, and subtle shifts, complements rather than competes with Fireboy’s emotional core.
So when word first leaked that these two were working on a joint EP, the hype felt organic. Fans sensed that something more personal, more considered would emerge, not just another collection of hit-driven singles, but an atmosphere, an experience.
That anticipation bore fruit on September 26, 2025, when Peace by Piece dropped under the banners of YBNL, Rii Collective, and EMPIRE.
A Quick Tour Through the EP: 5 Tracks, 13 Minutes, Infinite Layers
Peace by Piece is compact, just five songs clocking in at around 13 minutes. But in that brevity lies intentionality: no filler, no “just-to-fill-the-slate” detours. Each piece is a brushstroke in a larger portrait of introspection, yearning, and groove.
Below is a guided walkthrough:
| Track | Mood / Texture | What Makes It Stand Out |
|---|---|---|
| On a Kentro (feat. L.A.X) | Prayerful, midtempo with a soft sway | The EP’s opening anthem. It fuses Yoruba spiritual sensibility with resilience—Fireboy affirms strength even when the ground feels unstable: “Ẹsẹ mi ń gbọn, but I stand strong.” L.A.X adds dimension without overwhelming, grounding the track. |
| Gozi | Smooth, swaying, Amapiano-tinged | Here, Pheelz leans into contemporary textures—drums ripple, space opens, and the groove lingers. The “gozi” refrain becomes a mantra: something to lean on. |
| Shake | Darker disco undertow | This is less confessional and more flirtatious. The beat has tension; the vocal delivery is playful but precise. It’s a dance-floor whisper rather than a shout. |
| Young Again | Buoyant, nostalgic energy | A sort of “let me feel young again” moment. It stretches the EP’s emotional arc upward, a moment of lightness before the close. |
| ILWY | Intimate, soft-close love confession | As the closing track, ILWY (I Love What You’re?) brings the listener into a quiet space. No dramatic finale—just gentle resolve. |
Critics have pointed out that while the chemistry between Fireboy’s voice and Pheelz’s production is undeniable, the EP occasionally flirts with tonal monotony. With some tracks risk blending into one another unless you listen closely. But the restraint is also part of its strength: it asks for patience, for immersion.
Streams & Charts — How Peace by Piece Is Doing
- Immediate chart impact (Apple Music): the EP entered the Apple Music Top Albums lists in several markets and quickly climbed into the top 5 in Nigeria — peaking at #4 on Apple Music Nigeria’s Top Albums chart.
- Regional Apple Music performance: chart aggregators show the EP placing in multiple African markets (examples: #2 Sierra Leone, #4 Nigeria, top-20 placements in Uganda, Malawi and Zimbabwe).
- Spotify (tracks + daily totals): streaming trackers and Spotify country charts show the project pulled hundreds of thousands of streams on day one in Nigeria. For example, the song “On a Kentro (feat. L.A.X)” debuted high on the Spotify Nigeria daily chart (about 153,586 daily streams in early tracking), placing roughly #9 on the Nigeria daily list.
- Reported first-day totals (discrepancies explained): different outlets/official pages have reported varying first-day Spotify totals: some posts from label/affiliated accounts put the EP’s first full-day Spotify figure at ~604,841 streams, while other industry posts/aggregators reported ~423K streams (both figures refer to early-day snapshots and likely use different scopes — e.g., Spotify Nigeria only vs Spotify global or different 24-hour windows). In short: the project’s first-day streaming is clearly in the high-hundreds-of-thousands, but exact tallies differ by source.
- Playlisting & visibility: the EP’s tracks landed quickly on Spotify/Apple Music Nigeria playlists (and the lead track’s lyric/video views climbed fast on YouTube — the official “On a Kentro” video hitting hundreds of thousands of views within days), which helped sustain daily-stream momentum.
Themes, Tensions & Triumphs
1. Building Peace, Piece by Piece
The title itself suggests something assembled, deliberate. This is not passive peace—it’s earned. Harmonies, silences, pauses, transitions—all of these little spaces are part of the architecture. The EP whispers that inner calm doesn’t arrive all at once. It’s constructed track by track, decision by decision.
2. The Alchemy of Vulnerability + Restraint
Fireboy has always been at his best when he lets his guard down. Here, he’s quieter, more measured. He doesn’t rely on sweeping choruses so much as he imbues small phrases with weight. Pheelz, equally, trades big sonic gestures for nuance—every beat, ambient swell, and skip in rhythm matters.
3. Roots & Rhythm Conversations
Within Peace by Piece, you’ll find the interplay of Yoruba spiritual allusion, emotional confession, and contemporary African pulse. The EP doesn’t attempt a full “world-fusion” manifesto. Instead, it lets Afro‑fusion, disco embers, and Amapiano lean-ins breathe in relation to each other.
4. Intimacy Over Bombast
In an industry often dominated by the loudest, brightest hooks and viral anthems, Peace by Piece is an act of quiet rebellion. It invites close listening. It demands space. It doesn’t clamor for attention—it simply holds it.
Why This EP Matters (Outside the “Fan Circle”)
- A Model for Collaborative Evolution
This isn’t forced synergy. The Pheelz–Fireboy relationship has roots in producer–artist synergy over years. Their decision to meet in a true collaborative space signals maturity in how artists can grow together rather than drift apart. - Redefining Consumption Patterns
It’s short and potent. In an attention economy, that says something—less can be more. And listeners may revisit, rewind, internalize, rather than chase streams. - Shifting Narratives in Afropop
As Afrobeat, Afropop, and contemporary African music continue to dominate global charts, Peace by Piece expands listeners’ expectations. It shows you can be graceful, subdued, emotionally rich without budget‑car bombs and bombastic drops. - A Preview of Bigger Moves
The EP feels like a bridge—toward solo future works, toward fuller-length projects. It raises questions: What’s next? Will this be a template for more joint works? Should we expect Fireboy and Pheelz to alternate between joint and solo explorations?
Listening Strategy: Maximize the Experience
To truly ride Peace by Piece, try this:
- Listen uninterrupted. Let the EP’s flow absorb you from “On a Kentro” through to “ILWY.”
- Use headphones. Silence reveals ambient fills, quiet harmonies, and production details.
- Mark lines that stick. Fireboy’s smaller lines often carry the heavier emotional weight.
- Revisit in segments. Slice it by track, then by emotional moment (the chorus of Gozi, the bridge in Shake, etc.).
- Contrast with past works. Listen back to LTG or Adedamola—you’ll hear evolution in pacing, restraint, texture.
Possible Critiques & What Could’ve Been
Of course, no art is immune to questioning. Some strengths of Peace by Piece are also its potential limits:
- Because it stays in a mid‑tempo, introspective lane, the risk of “samey” feeling across tracks is real. Some listeners might miss a banger, a climactic peak, or a sudden shift.
- There are no big-name features (aside from L.A.X), which is a choice but might also limit cross‑sectional reach.
- Its quiet strength can be mistaken for underinvestment. In markets where loudness sells, subtlety needs extra push.
Nevertheless, the project’s integrity and cohesion make those risks understandable—even worthwhile.
Conclusion: A Quiet Revolution
Peace by Piece is not a roar. It’s a hush, a breath, a sequence of moments stitched together with intention. As a collaborative EP, it doesn’t aim to dominate every playlist—it aims to settle into hearts. It whispers rather than shouts, but in doing so, may be heard more deeply.
If you’re a fan of Fireboy’s heart or Pheelz’s touch—or both—this EP will feel like coming home. And for the casual listener, it’s a reminder that sometimes the richest stories are told in small arcs, one piece at a time.