14 September, Lagos: A little over one year after the release of her debut project, When The Lights Go Off, rising artist, Layzee Ella, has released her new album titled Feel Everything. A rich potpourri of soul-inflected pop sounds, Feel Everything catalogs Layzee’s view of life into aural form. Led by the Khaid-featuring “Medusa,” Feel Everything has five songs that bear the imprint of her reality.
The project is led by “Rotation,” a dancehall-inspired track that finds the singer pining after a love interest over skittering percussion while the pentatonic “Summertime” is a stirring summons to the dancefloor all summer long. The lower half of Feel Everything veers wholeheartedly into the realm of buttery lyrics and neon soundscape that Layzee flirted with on When The Lights Go Off. “Who Fell Off” is a defiant statement of intent and “Hypnotise” is a reflective ballad that brings the project to a sanguine end.
Speaking of the project, she said, This project is inspired by everything, from my life experience to the people in my life, the places I have been, and the relationships I have.
Nigeria’s next superstar, Onose Emmanuella Bagudu, better known as Layzee Ella, is an eager rapper, singer, and songwriter hoping to grab Afrobeat’s’ land of possibility with both hands. Although her journey seems to have started on social media through the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Layzee has been writing music since she was all but 8 years old. The self-proclaimed introvert drew creative inspiration from her love of reading and began her own process of storytelling through writing songs.
After doing covers of popular Afrobeats songs on social media and growing her online community of supporters, the singer-rapper released her debut single “Sober” which got people talking. The following year she had a lot to say, rolling out her debut EP When The Lights Go Off which spawned the hits “Deep Into You” and “Body On Me” along with four other boisterous tunes.
Her songs speak of a desire for sincere companionship, a passion she shares with not just young people but music listeners of all ages. Layzee is able to articulate her innermost thoughts in a way that pulls you closer into her midst and although her voice sounds youthful, it still demands attention. Her music is a rich composite of influences from R&B, Dancehall, and Reggae in addition to Afropop.
“She creates music depending on her mood” – Unorthodox Reviews
“(She) is one of the few new generations of Nigerian artistes that can sing and rap with perfectly interwoven lyrics and melody” – MyStreetz Magazine.
Feel everything is out now, stream/listen here
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