ICTOOICY may be one of this year’s sacred discoveries. The first uploaded track on her SoundCloud, “Misunderstood”, a heart-wrenching alt-R&B and hip-hop fusion, dates back nearly two years ago. Though it is more likely the self-described ‘poet with a flow’ creates her own music with tools in her immediate environment, ICTOOICY’s intuitive songwriting balances minimalism and rhythm for smooth lo-fi listening. On “Melancholy Baby”, guitar-riffs subsumed in ambient synths backgrounds themes of mental health as IC sings “call me a melancholy baby”. It’s not entirely clear if she’s broken from love, but IC’s interluding rap verse hints at an overhead gloom hanging over her relationship. If you have ever heard the J.Cole line: ‘she don’t wanna be saved, don’t save her’,  ICTOOICY’s haunting chorus about ‘needing saving’ will feel all too familiar; it echoes a sentiment common in angst-filled romance. IC’s brazen embrace of that ‘sad girl’ label is an unapologetic commentary on the complexities of saviour syndrome in romance.

Stream “Melancholy Baby” via SoundCloud

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Toye is managing-partner at NATIVE Nigeria. Tweet at him @ToyeSokunbi

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