Crayon is a talent whose time has come

<span>A Pulse review of 'Trench to Triumph' by Crayon</span>, <h2>The importance of a hit song in changing the trajectory of an artist's career cannot be overemphasised and one artist who understands the invaluable worth of a career-altering single is Crayon.</h2>, <p>Having been at the fringes since making his debut in 2019, Crayon has had to sit and watch his label mates achieve success while keenly waiting for his turn and wondering if it would ever happen for him.</p>, <p>For Crayon, talent, ability, or even effort wasn't the issue. So his case is similar to that of several artists who needed the universe to align in their favour and grant them the luck needed to connect with mass listeners and rocket their career to a commercial level.</p>, <p>Crayon had to wait 4 years, but luck did come in the form of his 2022 Sarz-produced smash hit single '(Ijo) Laba Laba' which placed him one foot into the mainstream. He followed up with a defining chorus on Mavin's mega-hit 'Overloading' that further established him as a talent whose time has come.</p>, <p>After gaining mainstream success Crayon and his label quickly went in search of the brand identity needed in sustaining the success through an underlining compelling story. He called himself "Captain Hook" and tried to get listeners to co-sign the idea of him being the industry's chorus master. However, the identity he sought wasn't tied to his newfound success rather, it lay in his humble beginnings, and like several artists, it's this rush of nostalgia and the gratitude and sobriety it inspires that shapes Crayon's identity as the kid who made it out of the hood.</p>, <p>His debut album 'Trench to Triumph' is a representation of this identity as he shares his grass-to-grace journey in a bid to sell a plausible story through a beautiful body of work that doesn't lose its appeal despite its obvious strategic layout.</p>, <p>Interestingly, Crayon's story as a kid from the Trenches started after he found success with 'Ijo (Laba Laba)' the lamba-infused Amapiano cut tha