Best New Music: Konyikeh’s “Sorrow” Is A Meditative Ode To Life
A powerful debut from the classically-trained singer
If you caught Dave’s performance at the Brit Awards early last year, you would have come across rising artist, Konyikeh. The talented singer has a commanding presence on stage and sings with so much gusto, setting the tastefully melancholic energy which “In The Fire” embodies. It was the sort of performance many would describe as a career highlight, but for Konyikeh, it was only the latest stop on a musical journey that began a long time ago.
Konyikeh started singing classical music when she was eleven, partly because her mother played it so much around the house, along with records from Jeniffer Hudson and Destiny’s Child. A pairing that was intriguing and immersive enough to pull Konyikeh into other forms of music, her palette has continued to grow. She became a music scholar at a prestigious school in West London and for a decade went on weekends to the neighbouring Guildhall School of Music and Drama where she learned musical theory alongside piano and violin.
Imbibing this level of expert artistry, it can sometimes be hard to adapt to popular music. The pace is breakneck, the industry even more frenetic, and language can sometimes be too outward-facing. An artist like Konyikeh requires soft landing, and to her credit, she achieves that and more with debut single, “Sorrow.” On surface, it’s a stirring meditative piece, an associative mood that is immediately established by the layered warmth of Konyikeh’s voice.
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That’s only on the surface, however. Strip the songwriting for its clues and you’ll find many easter eggs–a style which is enriched by Konyikeh’s third-person narrative. It’s even more remarkable when you consider that the song was written when the artist was about fourteen years old, wanting to suffuse her writing with the weight of life’s lessons, even if that meant writing outside her immediate perspective.
The song’s evocation of a romantic tussle that spans years constructs powerful images in the mind. Its quaint edge is flavoured with the colourful twists of a flamenco guitar, working to render contemporary zest. With sparse, staggering drums in the background, the music brilliantly complements Konyikeh’s voice, which stands as an instrument of its own. In all, the song’s central dilemma is present in the hook, which resurfaces in-between her incisive verses which culls inter-generational terms and religious allusions. “She sings about lust, he sings about sorrows,” sings Konyikeh, building layers to this character analysis which enriches the tension.
The visuals for “Sorrow” also mirror the poignant brooding of the record. A house that wouldn’t be out of place in a Kazuo Ishuguro novel is the first thing you see, followed by the twinkling feet of a child. Snapshot after snapshot, the extremes of emotion are captured by director Kemi Adeeko. Rich montages of Black families experiencing joy are the most frequent, but with the haunting vocals of Konyikeh creeping from behind the scenes, there’s a sort of hiding that’s present: you’re surely watching the video, but you know you’re not seeing the full picture.
Konyikeh’s debut EP is slated for release later this year, while the singer continues to burnish her cred. If anything, the artist with direct links to Cameroon, Jamaica and Britain has her foot solid into the industry. Performing alongside Dave isn’t her only big-name association; she’s signed to Jorja Smith’s management company FAMM, which also releases music from Smith and ENNY, the British-Nigerian rapper.
A lot of songs can make you move, but few can make you stop and listen. Konyikeh’s music belongs to the latter category, and for a debut, it’s almost frightening what beautiful record this 24-year-old would create throughout the course of her career. Her life has been marked by playing the long game and by now it’s the only way she knows. Epic and exquisitely simple at the same time, “Sorrow” is the prelude to something major.
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Maya Amolo Is Committed To Giving You The Sweetest Time
There’s undoubtedly more to come from the talented singer as she looks to solidify herself as one of the...
“Sweetest Time,” Maya Amolo’s latest single, is a soothing, lovesick confessional that mixes intimate, heartfelt lyricism with wistful production courtesy of Ugandan musician and producer SOULCHYD aka MAUIMØON. Alongside fellow Kenyan singer Ywaya Tajiri, the self-acclaimed sweetest girl delivers a lustrous duet that sees her soft vocals, which perfectly complement Tajiri’s more robust voice, skip and flit across moody synths, intensifying the spotlight on her wholehearted delivery. “I can feel you rushing through my system / Every single day it’s my religion,” she sings passionately halfway into the record. The whole thing sounds like the aural equivalent of a warm blanket; a truly affectionate record that immerses and envelopes its listeners in its warmth. This is the brand of vulnerable, understated R&B music that has been helping Amolo gain significant attention since she debuted in the pandemic year.
Born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya, Amolo always had an affinity for music. The singer and producer, who took on piano and guitar lessons as a child, has previously credited acts like Brandy, Erykah Badu, Prince, and Kenyan musical icon Eric Wainaina as her early influences – and it’s easy to see how Amolo’s style draws from this strong lineage of musicians whose music is equally expansive, soothing and vulnerable. After years experimenting with different styles, recording covers to beats she ripped from YouTube and posting them on her Soundcloud page, Amolo released her debut project ‘Leave Me At The Pregame’ in 2020.
The EP, which quickly soared up the charts in Kenya, served as a brief but emphatic introduction to Amolo’s minimalistic take on R&B. Standouts like the emotive opener “Puddles,” “Lush Green”, and “Jokes” showcase her clever and poignant lyricism that reflects on themes of love, depression, and self-healing. Along with sparse, melancholic production and the icy sensuality of her voice, Amolo delivered a remarkable debut that made her one of the most promising figures in Nairobi’s alternative music scene. Two years after ‘Leave Me At The Pregame,’ the Kenyan rising star released her debut album, ‘Asali.’
‘Asali,’ which translates to “honey” in her native Kiswahili, showcased Amolo’s progression as both an artist and a human being, as she swapped out the sad-girl tunes that filled her debut EP for more vibrant and intricate records – thanks in part to Sir Bastien and Kenyan producer and rapper Lukorito – that explore themes of growth and the complexities and rich luster of love. The album’s lead singles, “Foundry” and the self-produced “Can’t Get Enough,” found relative success on streaming platforms, placing Amolo as one of the continent’s most exciting new R&B voices. About a year after the release of ‘Asali,’ Amolo updated the album with 8 new songs on a deluxe version that featured Kenyan stars like Bensoul, Xenia Manasseh and Zowie Kengocha.
In August 2024, a few months after she delivered a splendid Colors performance, Amolo released a new project titled ‘What a Feeling.’ The 5-track EP, which essentially serves as an ode to Amolo’s home city, Nairobi, sees her experimenting with an array of dance sub-genres without straying too far from her R&B roots. While the project still retains much of the melancholy and elegance that defined her earlier work, there’s a hypnotic and pulsating energy that courses through ‘What A Feeling,’ that highlights a shift in the singer’s sensibilities. Amolo’s honeyed vocals gently seep through subtle Dancehall, Electronic, R&B and House-inspired production and the accompanying visualizer, a mashup of camcorder footage of her and her friends in Nairobi, also adequately captures the charming and nocturnal vibe of the tape.
The project produced standout tracks like the sensual “Let It Flow,” the title track and “Take It,” which later got remixed by Ugandan singer Soundlykbb and rapper SGawD. With Amolo’s latest release, “Sweetest Girl,” the Kenyan rising star continues her intricate exploration of R&B music, merging it with varying styles to produce her own distinct and refreshing variant. There’s no telling what Amolo might do next, but with only a handful of releases to her name so far, there’s undoubtedly more to come from the talented singer as she looks to solidify herself as one of the genre’s most prominent faces across the continent.
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T.I Blaze Updates ‘Shakur’ EP With Deluxe Version
Following the success of “Trenches Luv,” the street-pop star is back with seven new songs on the deluxe...
Over the last few years, street-pop, a guttural version of afropop, has surged to mainstream popularity, birthing stars like Asake, Seyi Vibez, and Shallipopi. On the homefront, a generation of younger stars also put unique spins on the sound. Singer, T.I Blaze, has been a notable star in the sub-genre since his 2021 single, “Sometimes,” and a subsequent remix with icon, Olamide, launched him into a different stratosphere.
Since “Sometimes,” Blaze has established his profile as a reliable source for songs that reflect the pulse of the streets while archiving his come-up story across a debut album (‘El Major’) and three extended plays like ‘The Fresh Prince Of Lagos’ and ‘Dangerous Wavy Baby.’ His 2024 EP, ‘Shakur,’ further underscored his evolution as an artist, featuring slippery numbers about escapism, his thoughts on life in the fast lane, and brotherhood with features from rising stars like Tml Vibez and BhadBoi Oml.
In 2025, the singer has picked up where he left off last year, releasing “Trenches Luv,” a balmy February release that examines the dynamics of romance from his point of view as a young adult moulded by the hard realities of life on the street. The success of “Trenches Luv” has led to a deluxe version of ‘Shakur’ with the singer adding seven new songs to the original version of the project. Impressively, on the new version of the project, TI Blaze taps up Ayo Maff and Ghanaian star Arathejay on “My Brother” and “Mario Remix,” respectively.
Led by a galala-inflected opener, “Track 1,” ‘Shakur (Deluxe)’ is both raw and complex with the singer sounding refreshed on songs like “My Brother,” “Dodge,” and “Introduction.” In many ways, this project is an invitation for listeners to explore the many facets of T.I Blaze’s artistry as well as a portent to celebrate his roots and offer a glimpse at his evolution.
Listen to ‘Shakur (Deluxe)’ here.
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NATIVE PREMIERE: Rigo Kamp Runs Ahead Of The Pack With The Visuals For “Marathon”
Rigo Kamp’s Marathon video is an intimate Afro-juju revival that pays homage to Sir Shina Peters and stamps...
Last Friday, Rigo Kamp, a NATIVE uNder alum and one of the architects of an equal parts nostalgic and refreshing sound released his self-titled debut EP, delivering a propulsive fusion of Alte, R&B, Funk, and Soul-infused rhythms.
Featuring previously released singles “Morning Sun” and “Summer”, the six-track eponymous EP executively produced by Odunsi The Engine sees Rigo lean heavily into his element as a sonic alchemist, jumping from silky falsettos to gritty grooves without losing an ounce of cohesion, and ultimately stamping the Abuja-born, Lagos-based singer-songwriter as a mad scientist of sound.
Just last November, Apple Music named Rigo Kamp as its Up Next artist, an acknowledgment that underscored his potential and confirmed what the tastemakers and underground scene already knew. Weeks later, he delivered an exhilarating live set for Spotify Fresh Finds in Lagos, proving he’s just as compelling live as he is in the studio.
On “Marathon”, the refreshing opener to the Rigo Kamp EP, Rigo borrows the bounce and swagger of Afro-Juju legend, Sir Shina Peters’ golden-era, fusing nostalgia with re-imagination to birth a vintage performance that feels like a private party for two, where it’s just Rigo, and you.
Get an exclusive first look at the video for Marathon here:
Listen to the Rigo Kamp EP:
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