Seyi Shay sounds like a ‘Big girl’ in new album

The Nigerian music diva and judge at this year’s Nigerian Idol, Seyi Shay, made a return a few days ago with her sophomore project which she titled ‘Big Girl’.

For anyone who has been a good student of the Nigerian music industry, Seyi Shay is a force to reckon with. When her name comes up, you remember her good old times; from 2012 to 2016, Seyi Shay was on fire. Though her collaborations were sparse, when she finally did any, it was more about her brand than the featured artiste.

Less than five years later, you wondered what could have gone wrong. She was no longer top billed as the new school artistes like Teni seemed to have taken her space. Not even her mastery at the Nigerian Idols could save her face. A vast majority of Nigerians were also hurt by her remark to one of the participants. To cap it all, her eventual face-off with fellow artiste, Tiwa Savage irked the already furious fans.

In the second half of this year, she lost her mentor Sound Sultan; Seyi Shay has been through a lot in recent time.

With less than 20 days to the end of 2021, the ‘Right now’ crooner released her second studio album (Big Girl) a follow-up to her debut ‘Seyi Or Shay’ (2015), and also the ‘Electric Package’, a collaborative extended play in 2018.

On the opening number ‘Maserati Sexy’, the artiste gives a glimpse of what she has been up to, with input from the grime artiste Backroad Gee. Who does Nigerian Idol call when they need the milder touch? Definitely Seyi Shay.

On this album, Seyi Shay reinforces why she is the best hand for R&B, and her magic never left. On ’Stamina’, she croons and swirls her vocals over the sunny instrumental and takes listeners on a lovely cruise with the tone hinting more of action than mere words.

The title track ‘Big Girl’, runs on a prominent drums with kicks. It alludes to the self-sufficiency which some ‘woke’ individuals preach. The mellow tempo also aids the advocacy.

The American singer Shay Jones’s sultry vocals come tops on ‘Mine’. It’s a seamless chemistry between crooners from two different continents when Shay Jones said “Oya, my respect for Yoruba culture is multiplied”.

Seyi Shay can be the girl next door or becomes fierce. She became a succor for love and attention on ‘Let Me Know’, then on the next track ‘Glowanna’, she became less concerned about the other parts and more into herself.

On this album, the artiste seemed to have an answer to every poser from the critics or fans. ‘Who Do They’ sounds like an answered response to some of the questions. Her vocals ride on the acoustic guitar. For an artiste who grew up in the United Kingdom, the influence of Jamaica and Reggae would always be prominent. Just like she did on her debut album, some of the tracks on this body of work were sprinkled with some Reggae and Dancehall elements and went all-in on ‘By You’.

Pop star Wande Coal came through on the Dancehall sampled ‘Ride For You’. Not his forte but he held it down like a pro would. The Yemi Alade’s assisted uptempo ‘Pempe’ ends the album, arguably the only party song on the project.

With six solo tracks and six collaborative tracks, Seyi Shay gives the fans different flavors of her brand with an optimum exploration of the UK, US and Nigerian markets. For commercial and artistic purposes, these were smart moves. The only minus could be the timing, hoping that the ‘Detty December’ wave won’t submerge the album. If the album can sustain its tempo into the first quarter of 2022, I believe it could be on its way to being ranked one of the best from the Nigerian music scene in recent times.

Emmanuel Daraloye is a music journalist. He can be contacted via Emmanuel Daraloye on Instagram/Facebook/Twitter.