I love hearing upcoming Nigerian artists so it was a pleasure to hear this project. The new EP is by Nigerian born British artist K4mo. This EP is a follow up from his 2020 project ‘Spider‘.
You may recognise his voice from the hit song by Mr Eazi and Major Lazer which also featured Nicki Minaj! The song ‘Oh My Gawd‘ feature K4mo’s vocals on the intro and the hook.
The EP starts off with the vibrant track “2 Slugs“. One thing you can always guarantee with afrobeat inspired projects is that the production and beats will always be top tier! You can usually feel the energy trying to be conveyed via the song and this EP is living proof of this argument.
One of my favourite tracks from the EP would be “Lamba” featuring SK. I love the fusion of K4mo’s different tones on the song. SK also adds a bit of spice with his input . This is the perfect track to zone out to.
Another solid track that stood out for me would have to be “Diana“. The song has a Carribean/Dancehall feel to it with a steel pan kind of mood.
‘Chain Reaction‘ is also a stand out track on the EP. With this song we are able to hear K4mo’s rapping ability. His flow on this song is very impressive while still maintaining his melodic sound.
The EP is a great glimpse of the talent of K4mo and possibly a hint at even more to come!
Happy Monday everyone and belated happy new month! I hope you all had a great weekend! I pray this month is a month of blessings for us all!
Today’s Music Monday isn’t really that new in terms of release but it’s new for me! I recently stumbled upon the artist Blxst and really enjoyed his music. I discovered he had released this EP ‘No Love Lost‘ a few months ago (September 4th – my birthday coincidentally!!!). My favourite songs from the project were: “Overrated”, “Wrong or Right” and “Be Alone”.
Fun Fact: The song “Overrated” uses a sample from one of my favourite singers Donell Jones’ song “This Luv“. Check out my previous post on him below:
Happy Monday Everyone! Another new week and the last few days of September already! Today’s Music Monday entry is from new Nigerian sensation Tems!. Tems, a Nigerian singer, who may be known already for her song “Try Me” or her recent hit single ‘Damages’ follows up with a debut EP entitled “For Broken Ears“.
As a description and explanation of the projects Tems wrote;
“This is for anyone looking for an alternative to the darkness. This is for those who need a break from the toxicity they consume and supply on a daily basis. This is for the Rebels because they expected us to follow them but we made our own path, by the Grace of God. This is FOR BROKEN EARS”.
My favourite tracks from this EP will have to be ‘Damages’ and ‘Free Mind’. For me, Tems has a very unique voice that I feel touches on so many kind of genres; Afrobeats, Alternative R&B, Soul… it would be hard to box her into only 1. She reminds me of an African version of Koffee. Hopefully this is the beginning of more to come and it will be such a pleasure seeing her grow and shine.
Check out the video for Damages below and check out her EP which is out now.
I had the privilege of hearing the EP a few days ago and honestly, hand on heart I have been playing it ever since. Having spoken to Lexi, it is clear her musical influences definitely come from artists such as Solange Knowles, IAMDDB, Lauryn Hill and many more soul/jazz/r&b artists. The EP title âKintsugiâ is Japanese and is the art of repairing broken pottery with lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum. According to Lexi this is relevant as for her she believes it relates to life and the idea of growing and healing with situations in life. The Japanese theme is also reflected within the artwork and visuals she has released. From this I knew this EP was going to be a meaningful piece of art.
The first track âCrash and Burnâ is a brilliant opening track. I always talk about the importance of intro tracks on projects as itâs the first chance for the artist to show us who they are. As soon as the track starts and Lexi sings, I can tell this is going to be an interesting track. The juxtapositioning of the anticipation provided by the background music and the title of the track for me is perfect. She is singing about crashing and burning which indicates it is the end of something, but the music makes it feel like more is to come. I feel this song will be perfect in a movie or tv show where there is something about to happen, maybe a chase scene. A great intro track as it leaves you wanting more and wondering what other sound can be produced!
The 4th track from the EP “Superficial” is my absolute favourite. The content/message, sound, compositing is just perfect. Again, this is another song that would be perfect live with an audience singing back. This song is the kind of song I would play for my little cousins in order for them to take the messages being put across. This is an important song in a society where most people are superficial and distracted by unmeaningful things. Lexi sings âDonât be so superficial, thereâs more to lifeâŠwhen you go outside live life to your fullest, donât need no designer to feel alrightâ. Lexi reminds us that life is about the simple things and not the artificial moments. Sometimes itâs easy to get caught up in the idea of maintaining an image or impressing others but we have to remember life is for living. There is more to life than designer labels, Instagram likes or chasing boys or girls. This will be the first single released from the tape too so I look forward to seeing the video for this!
Love
Me Rightâ is a powerful self-loving anthem. Lexi sings âIâve got to love
me rightâ meaning that love starts from within before anything else. Going with
the theme of the EP, the end of EP focusses on the regeneration of Lexi. In the
song she sings âI know that real love has got to start with meâ;
We
have seen how she was broken in the beginning and how through the journey of
healing she is realising what is important and is putting herself back together.
The final track âLook At Me Nowâ is the perfect ending to the EP as Lexi
reflects at how far she has come âLook at me now, Iâm not the same little childâŠoh
how Iâve changedâ. A self-reflecting therapeutic song where we see how much Lexi
has grown and how she now sees the bad moments as lessons.
As
the first realised EP from Lexi, this is pretty impressive. The EP stuck to
theme and took us listeners on a journey through every song. Every song had its
own meaning and back story while still keeping a unique sound to each. I have
personally added every song to my âVibesâ Spotify playlist and I hope this is
the beginning of more music from Lexi.