TiwaDara has this lazy drag to his vocals that effectively pulls you along with his singing. On Olobe, you’re not quite sure what the lyrics are for the first few minutes, but you’re interested because whatever it sounds good. Granted, this isn’t one of the best reasons to like a song, but Olobe is an undeniably haunting song, and for that reason, we’re making it our Song of the Week.
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Olobe is off Soul & Groove, an album TiwaDara released on the 22nd of the month of January, 2020. The song features Deena Ade, making it the only track with a feature on the 8 track album. TiwaDara’s instrumentals are tangled and slightly cluttered, but manage to retain an appeal that holds your attention until Deena Ade’s voice comes on. Deena’s low and easy vocals are a definite compliment to the song, giving it the kind of substance it may have lacked without her feature.
Deena Ade is a classical singer, trained in London. She began singing and dancing professionally for a local charity at the age of seven. Before she set out on a solo career, she spent some time in a group; recording, singing and dancing to music they created for Nelson Mandela’s activism and freedom. The work of her group led to performing for Nelson Mandela on his first official visit to London. Speaking on her journey as a creative so far, Deena states:
“I am in a phase in my life and artistry where I express myself shamelessly, as it pertains to life as a twenty-something.”
-Deena Ade
In May last year, Deena released an EP titled May Love Find You. Her genre is generally Alternative/Indie, but Deena has an interesting ability to wrap her voice around whatever sound or vibe she is contributing to. You’ll find a lot of her work in collaborations with other underground/indie artistes like Bella Alubo and TiwaDara.
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Deena Ade is currently based in Lagos. Her first body of work was The Cries of My Subconscious, an album she released in June 2018. The project comes very highly recommended, with most critics giving special praise for the wistful melancholy of her voice. It is perhaps the original and novel quality of Deena’s singing that gives Olobe its secret ingredient. Deena and TiwaDara have the kind of chemistry that seeps into their music. A number of tracks on The Cries of My Subconscious were produced and engineered by TiwaDara, and the two have worked together on a few other projects.
TiwaDara describes himself as an Afro-Fusion producer and singer. The bulk of his work is in production, and on Soul & Groove – the album that hosts our song of the week – the only two tracks he did not produce and engineer were tracks number two and six. In 2018, TiwaDara released Jigsaw, a project he featured other upcoming acts; Goodgirl LA and Dunnie on. Then, he released a joint EP with Deena Ade titled Collision. This year’s album features some pre-released track like Headshot.
Sources:
The PGM Club
The Native
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