At any given moment there are easily a dozen new and talented acts emerging from Nigeria’s underground, each one varying in cultural impact, sound, and staying power. They are often touted as music’s next big spectacle, when more often than not they serve to showcase a new style or trend that will quickly eclipse them before fading into obscurity. Emmy Edwin is unlike these artists. She’s a tried and true leader of the next class of musicians, eager to showcase her undeniable skill without gravitating towards or pandering to a popular style or sound.
Emmi Edwin‘s sound is addictive. It’s hard to pin down but it has something to do with the Port Harcourt-based vocalist’s breathy, smooth vocals relaxing on beats, and endorphin-inducing choruses. Her hypnotizing voice flirts with worldwide superstardom whilst still sounding like your little secret.
With her work displayed in alot of minds already, Emmi Edwin’s vocals convey a sense of ease. She hauntingly sounds beautiful in conveying subjects in plain view, but there is always the creeping suspicion that more lies beneath the surface. Until you crack the code, you almost feel like you’re at odds with your own eyes, being watched by an idea that is just barely beyond your grasp. Emmi Edwin’s music, an experimental amalgamation of indie and art-pop sounds and styles, operates similarly.
Take for example Emmi Edwin’s newest project which happens to be a cover of Whitney Houston‘s I Look To You, posted independently and recorded in a studio called Rhema Room. Every finely-tuned instrumental functions as an experimental piece, complete with vocals lending a sense of easiness to the music’s emotional register. Emmi Edwin’s voice is heavy yet minimalistic, giving the impression that even though everything is immediately audible, there still exists much to unpack.
Emmi‘s music would clearly evolve, even as she’s already covering songs at an incredibly high level. She represents a generation raised by the internet, where genre lines are blurred and emphasis is placed instead on the emotions evoked. While she grows as a person and an artist, Emmi’s world is quickly beginning to take shape.
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