Seyi Shay, former British band girl and current ascendant to Nigeria’s Pop Queen throne has struggled to settle into a sound. Her debut album Seyi Vs Shay saw her fully explore the range of afrobeat, afro-pop and island inspired genres with mixed results. Her biggest hits on the album were collaborations with more visible male artists and many have wondered if Seyi Shay can really hold her own with help.

Her new song, an unexpected collaboration since she’s been on hiatus since the end of the Seyi Vs Shay era is for the South African production of MTV’s iteration of the phenomenally successful British teen drama ‘Skins’, MTV Shuga. The team behind MTV Shuga commission a soundtrack of original songs for the show each season and releases the soundtrack as a compilation album. Past albums have included work by Banky W, Tiwa Savage, Iyanya and P-Square so Seyi is in good company.

‘Down South’ is the lead single from the OST for the South African production and South African rappers Nasty-C and  Ma-E offer superior verses in line with the theme of the show. But Seyi Shay is the real surprise on “Down South” with a rapid fire trap delivery that immediately will draw comparisons with nu-soul acts like Tinashe and Jhene Aiko.

Is this the new era of Seyi Shay? If it is, we ain’t mad.