Though SOLIS is a well-established musical act within the underground alternative music scene in Nigeria, her official solo releases have been rather sparse since she made her debut on Odunsi (The Engine)’s momentous, ‘rare.‘ First gaining popularity through her YouTube covers and “type beat” freestyles, SOLIS is more comfortable with informal releases and the unstructured, DIY production process behind this method of distribution; her debut body of work, titled ‘Ruled by Venus, Unfortunately‘, a perfect example of how SOLIS’ unfiltered, unadulterated vocalism and lyricism fits so seamlessly within this Bedroom Pop canon.

Since those six tracks in August, SOLIS has continued to enchant listeners strictly via Instagram, guarding her new music closely, whilst still feeding her fans’ appetite for her magnetic voice. But, with the advent of “Body Signal”, which premieres on NATIVE here and now, SOLIS is ready to once more step onto the dance floor with another mouthwatering record.

Produced by Suté Iwar “Body Signal” sounds like an early summer night, every bit as dreamy and wistful as SOLIS’ vocal and lyrics, which gracefully glide across the upper register, setting the scene for her evening affair. With a skilful soprano delivery, SOLIS invokes the power of the moon and its tides to help her win over a potential lover for the night (she explicitly states she doesn’t want him for life).

Promising a love as sweet and tender as her voice, the triumphant melody of the song’s chorus suggests the success of SOLIS’ “Body Signal”, subtle, elemental moves that are painted through the mid-tempo waves of this transient pop song. SOLIS’ first wide spread release since December 2019, “Body Signal” at once coddles listeners in the familiarity of the singer’s tone, but also reveals evolved skills in lyrical depth and her varied vocal styles across the song’s three minutes. Premiering with The NATIVE, SOLIS shares the feelings which she wishes to evoke with the record,”of letting go and freeing one’s mind,” she says, before further explaining: “Oftentimes, we get so caught in our heads about what we look like, whether we’re standing out, if we’re doing too much or too little, and so on, and these thoughts distort the purity of our energy. On this record, I wanted myself and my listeners to simply sit back and let our energy, our signals, flow through naturally. Whoever catches it was meant to catch it.”

How would you describe your journey through time since ‘Ruled by Venus, Unfortunately’?

I think I’m a lot more in tune with the bigger aspects of the industry now. Before, I was all about my writing and the intimacy of my music, which is still very sacred and dear to me, but I’ve also had to sit up and ask myself important questions. [Music] is what I want to do for the rest of my life, so I have to learn the business.

Where was the last place you fell in love?

This question is so funny and fitting because I fall in love every 3 working days. But honestly, the last place I fell in love was on the dance floor, about a week ago. And on that day I fell in love with myself, deeply. I was out at this lounge with my friends, under a few influences, and it had been the first night in over a month I had been out and I had missed it so much – more than anything, I missed dancing! I danced for hours and hours non-stop that night. My partners changed, the music changed, conversations came and left like fleeting moments of a dream, but the dancing never stopped. That night the company was great – I did meet someone I think could be special – but above all else I fell in love with my energy, my aura, my ability to leave everything on the floor. I am the main character in this story.

If you could command one element, which would it be?

Being an air sign, I’d probably say air haha. I think I could make myself fly with that, right? That would be really cool. I could also really mess with people’s heads which is always a good time. Also thinking about it, Aang [The Avatar State] was the main character so it only makes sense I’m him in this scenario, right?

What was your last dream?

Last night I had a dream that XXXTentacion was staying over at my house, which was an Air BnB and then we fell in love and I would sneak him up into my room at night. This was very weird because I have not thought about him a day in my life.

Where is your favourite place to record?

I will record in any space that has good energy, to be honest. I don’t have much of a preference, but I do love recording myself in my room, it gives me a lot of control and I could re-record the same line 100 times until I think it is perfect, haha.

Who have you been listening to since you released ‘RBV,U‘?

This is super tough, I listen to at least 5 new artists a week but I guess the ones I have rinsed the most are Sade, Dua Lipa, Miley Cyrus, Mereba, Willow Smith/The Anxiety, Bon Iver, Hope Tala, Arlo Parks and generally a lot of 80’s funk music.

Who have you been working with?

I’ve been working with a lot of the boys from FOREVATIRED and that has been the most natural and fun process for me because they get me and the type of music I want to make. They are also super experimental and down to try anything which is super important for me creatively. I’ve also worked with producers/artists like LMBSKN, DAP the Contract, Suté Iwar and a few others, all of which have been a joy. I’m just really enjoying creating music right now.

What does the rest of the year have in store for SOLIS and her fans?

I am super happy to say my debut [album] will finally be coming out this year. We might get another single, but more than anything, I am beyond elated that the project will be coming out because it is a story that I think needs to be told, and that I think will heal many of the ears that it reaches. We might get some beautiful visuals from it too.

Love or lust?

I would say love, because love is the answer to everything. But lust is fun, and I’m a fun girl too.

Listen to “Body Signal” via your service of choice here.

Images by Danielle Mbonu

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