In ‘Esther?!’, Shadyisfaded Leans Into Mood Over Melody”

By Tolulope Oke

With “Esther?!”, Nigerian alternative music once again moves away from the conventional way of doing Afrobeats in the song by Shadyisfaded produced by Wasiu Olowa. The music is essentially a very emotional, vulnerable record with mellow production and performance. It is essentially a record that explores a lot of atmosphere in it and at the core of that atmosphere is the production of Wasiu Olowa.

“Esther?!” by Shadyisfaded is a song released as a single and is situated within the alternate space of trap-soul and Afro-fusion music mostly pioneered by a crop of young Nigerians currently on the rise.

From the beginning of “Esther?!” it is clear that the production is detaching from the normality of the vast amount of current music. There is a cold feeling that is being emitted from the song from the onset, contrary to the normal loud percussion and high energy drum patterns found in mainstream Afrobeats.

Wasiu Olowa’s production chooses to breathe within the silence of the song and allow the sound to penetrate the listeners’ eardrums slowly. The negative space found within the song allows the listener to immerse into the soundscape and feel every emotion that the artist is conveying.

The drum pattern is also greatly understated, the kick is placed softly, and the hi hats are sequenced in a very restricted manner to allow for maximum focus on the vocal performance, which, as stated earlier, is the real core of the song. The atmospheric synth sounds and lush melodic loops that make up the majority of the other elements of the song create a desolate soundscape in which the listener is left to be enveloped in the solitary emotions of the artist.

These elements reflect the conceptual themes of the song.
The vocal chain on “Esther?!” is another area that has been mixed down softly. On top of that, Shadyisfaded’s performance on the record is delivered in a slightly distant manner. This, coupled with the hazy, dreamlike quality of the song’s reverb-heavy and ambient-laden soundscapes, creates for a very emotional and intense listening experience. He avoids creating a polished mainstream record and instead creates a personal, underground sound that brings to mind the genres of global rage, cloud rap and experimental trap production amongst others.

Despite its positives, the production is not without its limitations. For example, the low-end could have benefited from greater definition during transitions between sections where the instrumental has a tendency to get lost within itself. This, at times, results in the mix sacrificing clarity for atmosphere. This is particularly the case in sections where heavily layered melodic textures sit atop one another, and listeners who are accustomed to a sharper vocal presence within the mix and cleaner mainstream production may find that the overall sound is intentionally rough around the edges, a trait that is however in keeping with the artist’s foray into underground alternative music.

The vocal performance on ‘Esther?!’ is of great significance, particularly because of how it resonates with the core characteristics of emerging artists on the Nigerian alternative music scene. Instead of an over-the-top display of vocal dexterity, Shadyisfaded goes for a far more subdued and detached delivery of his lyrics that resonates deeply and as a result connects with the listener on a far deeper level. His song writing is a testament to the current trends that are shaping up the alternative music scene with a host of younger artists weaving together an intricate web of mostly melancholic lyrics infused with a plethora of relatable situations while also reaching for new heights of emotional realism in their bodies of work.

The title of the song “Esther?!” immediately conveys that this song is a personal story. And it is very clear that this song is not a story that can be packaged neatly and told to people. The way the song is put together and the atmosphere created is such that the listener is transported into the personal experience of the artist as he relives the emotions he felt during the time he was experiencing attachment to Esther. It is fragmented, and it is very deep.

Conceptually, ‘Esther?!’ is a fresh addition to the Nigerian alternative scene which is rapidly becoming a huge underground movement. Afrobeats currently rules the global stage for Nigerian music, but a rich lane of alternative sounds, all stemming from the scene, have been popping up in recent times. They all so far, fall into the lane of Alternative Nigerian Trap-Soul and Afro-Fusion, created by the country’s younger generation of artists, by blending dark and melancholic lyrics and melodies with some minimalist production created with digital tools.
This is perhaps what Olowave does best. Understanding the art of pacing emotions within a production and not allowing it to become overpowered by excess production. Instead allowing the space to be filled by atmosphere, texture and ultimately mood.

Ultimately, the song is a great example of an underground mood driven track of art. It’s not necessarily a song that you would put on to get people to move, instead it’s something that would be played whilst people are in a certain mood, thinking about a particular time or situation in their lives. It shows a lot of promise for the future of music and I believe that with more exposure, it could potentially become a hit. However, as it stands, “Esther?!” is more of a slow burning, underground track of art, with a very emotional and personal tone.