Iyke Bede
Since the release of the ‘Signature’ extended play (EP) in 2017, Iyanya Onoyom Mbuk simply known as Iyanya, took a short hiatus from the music scene. In that span of time, he curated ‘The Rebirth’ EP which serves as his comeback to the music scene this year.
Ahead of its release earmarked for December 6, 2019, the ‘Kukere’ singer, in collaboration with Boomplay streaming services organised a listening party for the set that comprise seven tracks.
His current project adapts to current trends in the music industry and sees a slight shift in his sonic delivery, all, in efforts to seamlessly appeal to contemporary music lovers.
“This is a new life; this is a fresh beginning for me.” Iyanya said briefly, explaining the concept behind the EP. “I am not one of those people who likes to tout that I’ve been in the game for many years. This is a fresh start for me. You are going to see brand new jams and collaborations. But I am still the same ol’ gee.”
Although his music has been affected with subtle changes marked by instrumentation, his stage persona remained the same – gutsy. He opened the listening party with a medley of songs commissioned to be on the album. Launching with the familiar ‘No Drama’, he serenaded a sizable crowd of invited guests and media personalities.
Fashioned to whet their appetite, he purposefully started off singing low-tempo songs before transcending to more up-tempo beats. The highpoint of the medley was reached when he debuted ‘Finally’ to the delight of all. Joined by a female volunteer from the audience and his drummer, their marriage on stage was nothing short of fervor. He also revisited past hits like ‘Waist’, ‘Kukere’ and ‘Mr. Oreo’.
Whilst he was big on performance, he failed to elaborately discuss the body of work. This inability to fully walk his audience through his journey to making the EP can be linked to the fact that the event was behind schedule by two hours. Also, members of the press had limited access to him due to the military personnel acting as bodyguards.
Based on the timing for the EP’s release, he claims the move was rightly timed because of his upcoming album. ‘The Rebirth’ serves as a forerunner to his fourth studio album that is planned for a 2020 release. His last album, ‘Applaudise’ was released in 2015.
