Watch the music video for “All Over You” by Wale Kwame, Kwesi Arthur and Davido

Posted on by The Native

DMW affiliated singer, Wale Kwame has released his first single for the year 2019, “All Over You”, a romantic themed Afropop song with guest verses from Ghanaian rapper sensation, Kwesi Arthur and Afropop rockstar, Davido. Wale Kwame, however, sounds unfazed by glamorous guest list, anchoring the song with his laid back vocals oozing charm and personality.

Shizzi provides the lightweight beat for “All Over You”, mixing breezy synth samples and percussion with a catchy drum riff that guarantees the song a place on Afrobeats summer playlist and on DJ sets at parties despite the singers’ heartfelt and emotive singing, promising their lovers all their affection; “And I promise I go dey all over you”. It’s the kind of song that will do well at wedding DJ sets. The accompanying music video 88everything directs follows the artists as they perform their verses, providing them with muses to inspire a compelling performance.

Stream “All Over You” by Wale Kwame, Kwesi Arthur and Davido below.

Featured Image Credits: YouTube/Davido Adeleke

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ICYMI: Watch the music video for DJ Neptune and Davido’s “Demo”

Dremo features Reekado Banks for new single, “Ringer”

Posted on by The Native

It’s not surprising that Dremo and Reekado Banks make a great pair on “Ringer”. Though they were signed to different labels at the start of their careers, they’ve both leveraged their big-budget label association to understand what it takes to make a hit record and have since risen to prominence in Nigeria’s explosive pop music scene. With Reekado Banks going solo to start his own recording company last year, the two can finally collaborate without any contractual hindrances and their first collaboration aims right for the hearts of Nigerian music lovers with the romantic theme filtered through their charming sense of humour.

The catchy beat for “Ringer” carries hints of Afrobeats influences with horns and rattling samples that underscore Dremo and Reekado Banks’ charming words of adoration for their love interests. Though Dremo takes centre stage, singing and rapping his corny punchline filled set, Reekado Banks still exudes a star’s charisma though he only seems to be providing backing vocals and vibe inspiring scatting.

You can stream “Ringer” below.

Featured Image Credits: Instagram/dremodrizzy
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ICYMI: Listen to Dremo’s “Mirror”

The Big Hash shares music video for “Circles”

Posted on by The Native

South Africam teenage rap sensation, The Big Hash, has just released the music video for “Circles”, one of the lead singles off his debut studio album, ‘Young’. His charmingly somber reflection on his failed relationship over the bubbly trap beat 808x produces highlights his ability to channel heartfelt introspection without losing any of the catchy sensibilities of trap music.

Morale Pablo Phala directs the video for “Circles”, retelling the heartwrenching story as he shows The Big Hash being double-timed by a lover who he later catches on a date with someone else. However, the music video adds some spin to the narrative with the closing scene suggesting that it was all a dream and perhaps, it was all in his head. The expands on the song to give a great representation of how anxiety and insecurities can skewer the way we view our relationships.

Watch the music video for The Big Hash’s “Circles” below.

Featured Image Credits: YouTube/innanetwav.
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ICYMI: Listen to The Big Hash’s “Hot Sauce” featuring PatricKxxLee, Ginger Trill and The Clones

Watch the music video for Darkovibes and KiDi’s “Bless Me”

Posted on by The Native

It’s easy to imagine religious sentiments slipping into contemporary pop songs given how long religion has been embedded in our cultural mainstream. Sometimes a song like Chinko Ekun’s “Able God” would find its way into a particularly expressive praise and worship session while other times, like Darkovibes’s “Bless Me” featuring Nigerian singer, KiDi, its biblical themes that serve as the source of inspiration behind the songwriting.

Over the airy beat WillisBeatz produces mixing sweeping synths and a catchy Afropop drum riff, Darkovibes and KiDi describe their meek personalities and borrow metaphors from the holy book to further emphasize their goodly manners as they plead for God’s favour. The video HP Selorm directs follows the artists performing the lyrics and some gravity-defying stunts in serene scenes that seem to mirror their spiritual and heartfelt confessions.

Watch the music video for Darkovibes and KiDi’s “Bless Me” below.

Featured Image Credits: YouTube/darkovibes
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ICYMI: Listen to Darkovibes’ “Dance For Me”

Watch The Music Video For Phyno’s “The Bag”

Posted on by Dennis Ade Peter

Although it isn’t an uncommon practice for rappers to incorporate singing into their arsenal, Nigerian rap fans can be adamant in their opinion that switching things up isn’t acceptable. Indigenous rap veteran, Phyno is one of those who comes up in discussions with regards to rappers partially turned to singers. Ever since the Olamide-assisted “Fada Fada” became a smash success, Phyno has mostly remained fixed on the Highlife-indebted Afropop path. on “The Bag”, his second single of 2019, the rapper/singer asserts his affluence, tacitly nodding to the consistent bankability his switch up has brought him.

“My account fat like yokozuna [slang for sumo wrestlers], too much money for my knicker ”, Phyno sings, with the gruff of his voice adding weight and some level of mischief to his lyrics. Willis produces the groovy beat for “The Bag”, accentuating Phyno’s conceited set with a mix of palmwine guitars and rollicking percussions. Patrick Ellis also captures the glossy intentions of the song in its accompanying music video, set in a lavish mansion, with Phyno performing and partying in the company of models and affluent friends.

You can watch the video for “The Bag” here.

Featured Image Credits: Youtube/PhynoVEVO
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ICYMI: The video for “Poverty Die” confirms Baddo’s visual renaissance is afoot

See Minz In Video For First Single Of 2019, “Beautiful”

Posted on by Dennis Ade Peter

Last month, we published a list comprising artists we’d like to see turn things up for the remainder of the year. One of the artists on the list is Issue 1 Trybe alum, Minz, and the singer seems to agree as he just put out his first single of the year, “Beautiful”. Regardless if our list served as a catalyst for Minz’s new song, the important thing is that it’s a befitting return to form for the singer. Similar to the other records in his catalogue, “Beautiful” is planted in the romantic territories.

Singing, “So many many fine girl dey, but you you standout my girl”, Minz delivers a charming appreciation of his love interest’s beauty, as well as reassuring her of his commitment. Accentuating the preppy melodies personifying his affection, Minz mid-tempo bounce drums, leisurely piano chords and intermittent horn riffs, to make for a certified bop primed to slip into radio rotation and summer playlists. Highlighting the song’s unabashed dedication to the beauty of dark skins, the recently released video Machine Sef directs shows Minz performing at a location somewhere in a desert, with an all-woman supporting band. There are also candid shots of beautiful models, male and female, spliced in to embellish the song’s pro-Black aesthetic.

Watch the video for Minz’s “Beautiful” here.

Featured Image Credits: Youtube/Minz

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ICYMI: Watch Minz’s music video for “Skin”

Nasty C celebrates the success of sophomore album with the music video For “Strings & Blings”

Posted on by Dennis Ade Peter

Nasty C has had a storied rise, breaking out as South African rap’s wunderkind and rising into African rap royalty. Last year, the rapper released his stellar sophomore album, ‘Strings & Blings’, and the Recording Industry of South Africa (RiSA) recently announced that the album is certified Double Platinum with each song on the album going Gold as well. In celebration of this milestone, Nasty C has just shared the music video for the album’s title track on its one year anniversary.

Harkening back to the music video for his 2016 hit song, “Hell Naw”, the Kyle White-directed video for “Strings & Blings” is an overt nod to Nasty C’s celebrity status. The video features Nasty C performing his lyrics in the company of young people at a school, at a local football field, and on the streets of his hometown, all of whom clearly adore the rapper. At the beginning of the video, shots of Nasty C sharing his plaque with South African hip-hop legends like Swatta Kamp’s Slikour and highly regarded DJ, Ms. Cosmos, are spliced together as a way to pay homage to those who have assisted the rapper with his career over the year.

Watch the video for “Strings & Blings” here.

Featured Image Credits: Youtube/Nasty_C
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ICYMI: Check out the essentials from Nasty C’s ‘Strings and Bling’

King Promise Releases Debut Album, ‘As Promised’

Posted on by Dennis Ade Peter

Apple Music’s ‘New Artist Spotlight’ tab on the Browse page of the streaming app, has served as a platform to introduce young, budding artists to a wide variety of African music listeners. This year alone, artists like South Africa’s Tellaman, Ghana’s Amaarae, Nigeria’s WurlD and Rema have been highlighted. For the month of July, Ghanaian singer, King Promise is the featured act, and it coincides with the release of his highly awaited full-length debut, ‘As Promised’.

Over the last two years, King Promise has gained prominence as one of Afropop’s most impressive recent acts, working with a slew of artists, from Joey B and CDQ to Mr Eazi and Seyi Shay. The singer’s new album is a 15-song set of breezy bops, mainly tilted towards romantic intents and dancefloor purposes. In addition to the features on the pre-released singles—Mugeez and Sarkodie-assisted “C.C.T.V”, “Bra” featuring Kojo Antwi, and “Tokyo” with Wizkid—UK singer Raye, Afropop songstress Simi, and Omar Sterling complete the list of guest features. ‘As Promised’ is released under the Killbeatz-led imprint, Legacy Life Entertainment.

You can stream ‘As Promised’ here.

Featured Image Credits: Instagram/iamkingpromise
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ICYMI: The video for “Poverty Die” confirms Baddo’s visual renaissance is afoot

South Africa’s future generation astronaut, Mandla Maseko dies in bike accident

Posted on by The Native

South African DJ, Mandla Maseko emerged among the 23 winners for Lynx Apollo Space Academy’s sponsored trip to space program in 2014. Sadly, his family has announced his passing before the date for the liftoff had even been scheduled.

Mandla Maseko had beaten one million other contenders worldwide and was set to become the first black African on space. He had told David Smith, a Guardian report in Johannesburg of his excitement at the opportunity to represent the black community in Africa saying, “I’m not trying to make this a race thing but us blacks grew up dreaming to a certain stage. You dream of being a policeman or a lawyer, but you knew you won’t get as far as pilot or astronaut. Then I went to space camp and thought I can actually be an astronaut.”

He stood as a symbol for Africa’s budding space ambitions and even became a private pilot and a corporal in the South African National Defense Force, according to information gotten off his twitter. Though the launch that was initially expected to happen in 2015 was rescheduled indefinitely, Mandla Maseko remained an inspiration, giving public speeches and doing community work to motivate children to pursue their dreams and careers in science. According to reports, he was honoured by the Gauteng Department of Education in South Africa in 2016 when a building was named after him.

Though the motorbike accident cost him the chance to accomplish his goal of being the first black African to go to defy gravity in space, he has certainly been an inspiration for African ambition.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BiOUemQDEUv/

Featured Image Credits: Instagram/mandlamaseko
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ICYMI: The video for “Poverty Die” confirms Baddo’s visual renaissance is afoot

Essentials: Masego’s ‘Lady Lady (ADM Remixes)’ EP

Posted on by The Native

Multi-instrumentalist and trap house jazz singer, Masego became a hit when he debuted his ‘Lady Lady’ album last year. His ability to blend the romantic tenderness of Stevie Wonder with the shit-talking raps from Anderson. Paak over jazz-fueled beats makes him a breath of fresh air, crafting a sound that draws from jazz music’s past and present.

The album’s world tour brought the singer to Africa, where he performed in South Africa and was able to broaden his appreciation for the African culture that inspired his Masego stage name which means ‘Lucky’ in Tswana, a South African language. He just released a 3-track EP, ‘Lady Lady (ADM Remixes)’, featuring ADM (Africa Dance Music), a dance music collective which was created by Nigerian DJ and producer, TMXO.

While the original album and the “Lady Lady” title-track already portrayed Masego’s playful and reflective obsession with women, TMXO introduces a funk sound for “African Lady”, playing into the singer’s retro-futuristic sound while being reminiscent of Jazz and funk African legend, Lagbaja. The next track, “Old Age” is produced by DOZ who adds bouncy tropical drums as if to highlight Masego’s Jamaican roots. Higo, however, closes the project by infusing electronic synths for his production on the ADM remix of “Lady Lady”.

You can stream Masego’s ‘Lady Lady (ADM Remixes)’ below.

Featured Image Credits: Instagram/masego
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ICYMI: Listen to TMXO’s ambitious refix of Jon Bellion’s “All Time Low”

Essentials: Chillz’ ‘Good Vibes, Vol. 1’

Posted on by Dennis Ade Peter

The ‘Good Vibes, Vol. 1’ title and the relaxing by the pool direction of the cover art capture the mood for Chillz’ newly released debut project. With song titles like “Grateful”, “Chop Life” and “Smile”, the project portrays Chillz as brimming with positivity as he emphasises on savouring life in bright colours and the delightfully, mellowed out Afropop melodies that buoy the project’s snappy 24-minute duration. ‘Good Vibes’ carries the quintessential elements of a multipurpose summer project bound to inspire shimmering shoulders and full-bodied sashays at camaraderie-based events and is also fit for leisurely listening with a pair of earphones.

As important as mood is, though, the interesting twist that elevates the project beyond the well-worn capacity of a feel-good pop album, is the presence of a substantive core anchoring the helium-propelled parts. “You show me your scars, I’ll show you mine”, Chillz solemnly sings on “Intro”, hinting at a troubled past that makes his high-spirited follow-up track, “Grateful” featuring Mayorkun all the more riveting.

The seventh track “Start Again”, recently named NATIVE’s Best New Music pick, clearly serves as the album’s emotional centrepiece. Spotting the self-produced blend of bulbous talking drums and chillwave synths to evocative effect, Chillz harps on the virtue of resurgence, briskly unpacking his thematic concerns in less than two minutes. Beaming in with impassioned, backup vocals, the soulful folk timbre of Sir Dauda’s voice adds an angular layer of rustic charm, increasing the song’s affecting quality.

“Smile”, the very next track, acts as the companion piece, readjusting the tension of “Start Again” into the visceral peak of ‘Good Vibes’. The composite Igbo Folk soundscape, comprising staccato Fender Rhodes piano chords, heaving palmwine guitars, live drums and local percussions, creates a red-boned groove that accentuates Chillz’ set, encouraging listeners to unwind and curl their lips upwards because unfavourable circumstances last only for a while. “Smile” is also significant, in that it acts as the main bridge of specificity, where Chillz’ lyrics seemingly directed at close and out-of-touch friends, takes on a relatable life primed to resonate beyond its universality.

Combined with the more lightweight parts of the project, ‘Good Vibes’ highlights Chillz’ amiable persona as the rounding element of his premium music-making abilities. Credited as the sole producer of every track, sans the TMXO-produced title track, Chillz showcases himself as a neo-Afropop auteur with subtly eclectic choices to keep his compositions constantly refreshing. To capture the imagery of living life to the fullest on “Shun (Turkey)”, airy organ chords and sparsely knocking 808 synths serve as ambience, while the heartfelt sentiments aimed at reassuring his love interest on “Down” is propelled by an electro-pop combination of aqueous piano harmonies and clanging 808 snares.

Favouring hook-reliant songwriting and poignant one-liners to bring his more plain lyrics into sharper focus, Chillz’ rather serene baritone also adds depth to his performances. Hovering on top of the beats, the simplicity of his melodies are enjoyable and effective in conveying the intended gravitas. For example, in contrast with Mayorkun’s more passionate crooning on lead single, “Grateful”, Chillz’ low-end vocals also conjure the sentiment of being appreciative regardless of daunting situations.

Popular rapper, Falz rounds out the guest list, following the already laid down ethos on “Chop Life”, delivering a lightweight verse with a playful cadence, over the buoyant mix of a spry early ‘00s R&B acoustic guitar and bouncy Afropop drum riffs. Also an infectious bop, “Chop Life” is indicative of the wide mainstream conversations Chillz is set to enter with ‘Good Vibes, Vol 1’.

Featured Image Credits: Instagram/chillzhimself

Listen to Mahalia and Burna Boy’s “Simmer”

Posted on by The Native

With each new international collaboration, the world shrinks a little smaller. Last year, UK R&B singer, Mahalia’s music grew some root in America after Wale released his remix of her “I Wish I Missed my Ex” single. This year, she’s teaming up with Burna Boy, a Nigerian who has also had this fair share of American fanfare within the last couple of months. The new single, “Simmer”, is Mahalia’s third single for the year, following the release of “Do Not Disturb” and “Grateful”.

“Simmer” is a romantic single, written with raunchy intentions. Mahalia’s impassioned vocals are matched by Burna Boy’s racy patio, making for a carefully crafted club-driven song, spare, and meticulously produced. Mahalia approaches the vocals with a light touch and the contrasts between that lightness and the songs sweeping sentiment “Talk to me with your action. Think I got a space for your passion” highlights the charm of the increasingly less subtle seduction we’ve come to expect from the UK singer. The song is expected to feature on her debut album, ‘Love & Compromise’, when it’s eventually released in September.

Stream “Simmer” by Mahalia and Burna Boy below.

Featured Image Credits: Instagram/mahalia
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ICYMI: Listen to “Location” by Dave and Burna Boy

Exclusive: Go Behind-The-Scenes of Odunsi The Engine’s horoscopic owambe

Posted on by The Native

Earlier today, Odunsi The Engine officially released the long-awaited visual for rare. standout, “star signs”. Directed by Candles (Sparky, Dumebi, Rapid Fire) and styled by Daniel Obasi, the flick has already received a fair amount of fanfare.

The NATIVE went behind-the-scenes of the video shoot with Omofolarin, capturing the process behind what is surely going to be one of the best videos of the year.

” The process is always just as captivating as the finished product,” the photographer told The NATIVE via e-mail. “The colourful clothing on every individual speaks for itself, and stands out against the mostly monotone backgrounds, creating a vibrant feeling in each picture. Each model wears traditional attire familiar to the average Nigerian owambe, and I wanted to capture that sense of familiarity. The whole process felt extremely natural.”

WANI shares beautiful video for “China Designer”

Posted on by The Native

Romance is a theme that has cemented its place as a template for making beautiful songs. For a dance-driven genre like Afropop (Afrobeats), romance often finds its home in the lightweight swing of highlife percussions as singers channel the laidback harmony to capture the blissful feeling of being in love. As a result, the really good romantic bops are instantly familiar and it’s understandable that “China Designer” off WANI’s ‘Lagos City Vice’ EP sounds like a remake of Tekno’s “Be”, with lyrics from Baba Dee’s classic, “Sodi E”, another gem from the archives that houses romantic hit songs like 2Baba’s “African Queen”.

The music video for WANI’s “China Designer” however updates the romantic trope with a sexy video directed by Xamani to highlight the serene beauty of the continent. While WANI serenades his muse, her ebony skin takes front and centre of the camera as she’s shown dancing to the sultry rhythm under natural sunlight and lighting from a bonfire.

Watch the music video below.

Featured Image Credits: YouTube/WANI
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ICYMI: Check out the essentials from WANI’s ‘Lagos City Vice’ EP

Watch Mr Eazi adorable attempt to charm his love interest in “Supernova” music video

Posted on by The Native

It takes guts to put yourself out there and expose your vulnerable side to a total stranger, but sometimes that’s what it takes to win the affection of a love interest. Not everyone enjoys the privilege of love at first sight and apparently, Mr Eazi knows what that’s like as he shares a new single, “Supernova”, offering his best shots at the heart of his muse; “Make I be your supernova, I go buy you things from FashionNova/ I no go do you Jangolova, I go bless you with my Godzilla”.

The mix of highlife inspired guitar riffs, percussion harmonies and mid-tempo drums Dre Skull and E Kelly produce are catchy and give his languid melodies and corny lyrics a compelling attribute. “Supernova” comes with an accompanying music video Meji Alabi directs, emphasizing the lightweight lyrics through stop-motion graphics and representing the FashionNova name drop with models wearing the brand’s eye-catching attires.

Watch the music video for “Supernova” below.

Featured Image Credits: YouTube/Mr Eazi
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ICYMI: J Balvin and Bad Bunny feature Mr Eazi for “Como Un Bebe”

See a flamboyant Odunsi in Owambe-themed video for “star signs”

Posted on by The Native

https://www.instagram.com/p/BzfcEL8huos/

Odunsi’s ‘rare’ album culminated the release of some of the most sonically adventurous contemporary Afropop we have heard this decade, now the singer-producer is looking to solidify era with visuals. “star signs”, a highlife-fused number off the project features Runtown and mashes the alte generation’s signature grunge with an Owambe-themed video. Cameos from fellow alte visionaries, Santi, producer GMK, DRB’s Teezee, XII’s Ashley Okoli and more in vividly Nigerian style, restate the sense of camaraderie that has always defined this generation of creatives. “star signs.” is the strongest depiction of all the diverse influences that inspire Odunsi till date, you can see for yourself below:

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

BEST NEW MUSIC SPECIAL: ‘MANDY & THE JUNGLE’ BY SANTI

Listen To ADEOLUWA & CaL On New Single, “S’okan”

Posted on by Dennis Ade Peter

Mutual love can be underrated. It isn’t every time that the person we love, loves us back, and Afropop upstart, ADEOLUWA captures the grinding feeling of being on the giving side of the equation on his new single, “S’okan”. With his vocal inflection listening like the song was recording after heavy sobs, the singer appeals to a love interest who continues to overlook him despite knowing of his feelings since they were in high school, SS2 to be precise.

Rounding things out, CaL delivers a superb verse clearly stating out his grievances, rapping poignant lines like “somewhere between hopeful and hesitant is where I reside”. Although “S’okan” is thematically heavy, its folksy EDM beat, comprising rustic guitar, rolling drums and boisterous synths will help its cause to get on radio and DJ sets.

You can listen to “S’okan” below.

Featured Image Credits: Instagram/iambabacrown

Timaya Shares Video For New Single, “2 Stoopid”

Posted on by Dennis Ade Peter

In February of this year, Afropop veteran, Timaya released ‘Chulo Vibes’, a 9-track compilation of Afro-Caribbean dancefloor-ready jams. The singer has just put out “2 Stoopid”, his first single since that project and a sequel to the final track on that tape, “Stoopid”. Over the trademark, energetic Masterkraft produces, Timaya’s freewheeling performance listens like a session of random recording, with the somewhat scattered seemingly a call to dance. TG Omori captures this lively sentiment in the accompanying music video, featuring shots of dancers performing high octane dance moves, and models styled in similar fashion to the highly revered Landlady character from the seminal Chinese movie, “Kung Fu Hustle”.

You can watch the video for “2 Stoopid” below.

Featured Image Credits: Youtube/OfficialTimaya

Veen Is Chasing His “Dream$$”

Posted on by Dennis Ade Peter

“I ain’t tryna talk if you ain’t talking ‘bout the bread”, Veen raps on the first verse of his recent single, “Dream$$”, a succinct representation of his mindset, and a large portion of his growing catalogue. It’s an ethos that’s on course with the chosen Trap music stylings that dominates much of his music, signifying the era of rap music he’s mostly indebted to. Also highlighting his polymath abilities, Veen produces a catchy Trap beat for “Dream$$”, mixing a groovy glockenspiel riff and a simple but knocking 808 bass pattern. The most endearing part of the song, though, is the rapper noting the presence of his “brothers” in the cut, moving together on their paper chase.

You can listen to “Dream$$” below.

Featured Image Credits: Twitter/younggodveen

Watch The Colourful Video For CDQ & Zlatan’s “Onye Eze 2.0”

Posted on by Dennis Ade Peter

At the beginning of last month, street rap mainstay CDQ put out “Onye Eze”, inspired by the controversial set of events involving popular blogger, Blessing Okoro and an Affluent Igbo businessman simply known as Onye Eze. Per the situation in which Blessing was publicly outed for wrongfully claiming a piece of property belonging to Onye Eze, CDQ used the song to deride people who lead fake lives on social media, and also as a means to affirm his deep pockets.

The rapper has just put out a second version of the song, and while the energetic production from Vicebeatmaker remains unchanged, street rap rave of the moment, Zlatan delivers a new verse on the song, characterized by his trademark energy and quotable raps in Yoruba. CDQ has also shared the brightly coloured ADAMSGUD-directed music video for “Onye Eze 2.0”, where both rappers perform their lyrics in the company of beautiful models, while also spraying an ample amount of 100-dollar bills.

You can watch the video for “Onye Eze 2.0” here.

Featured Image Credits: Youtube/OfficialCDQ

Best New Music: Chillz’ “Start Again” is universal truth wrapped in folk-pop

Posted on by The Native

Singer-producer, Chillz, recently debuted ‘Good Vibes, Vol.1’ a 9-track collection of minimally-produced neo-Afropop tracks about gratefulness, dedication in love and living life to the fullest.

Chillz first surfaced last year as one of the indelible guest-appearances on M.I’s playlist-album, Rendezvous . Over haunting-synths subtly-laced with sounds of ocean waves crashing at bay on opening track “Sunset”, Chillz interweaves relationship woes with for his strife for inner peace. It’s a rather unceremonious introduction for a little-known artist, but his intuitive vocal performance hinted there was more to expect from his smooth lo-fi delivery on “Sunset”.

His new project, ‘Good Vibes, Vol.1’ comes into full view on “Start Again” — a pseudo-motivational number about perseverance in tribulation. Excluding the intro track, “Start Again” is the shortest track on project creasing at just 90 seconds.

Afropop is the happiest genre in the world at the moment and Chillz’ new project sits apeak the wave. Gan-gan drums and synths set a gospel-like ambience for Chillz to open with, ‘When life brings you down to your knees, hold on, you go stand again’. “Start Again” melds these afro-folk nuances with a contradictory twist to the motivational-speak of bouncing back after failure.

Chillz awareness of the importance of decompression and ease is the strongest theme on ‘Good Vibes, Vol.1’, but it’s easy to misunderstand it as another summer-filtered Afropop project. Luckily, “Start Again” is monumental because there’s always a tendency for this kind of music to spiral downward from hyper-laidback and positive to predictably corny. Chillz’ world view is surgically realistic. Instead of proffering sheer will and might as the only go-around for difficult times, “Start Again” posits strife as character-building for a greater purpose, not life’s way of beating us down. Now, that’s reassurance mere higher vibrations (whatever that is) will never give you.

Stream “Start Again” via Apple Music below:

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

BEST NEW MUSIC SPECIAL: ‘MANDY & THE JUNGLE’ BY SANTI