Love remains one of life’s most exciting emotions, but it is also one with layers. While humans have always expressed love in all its forms, there are lingering layers that we continue to explore as we grow and love. That is what Nigerian artist Braye aims to understand in his debut project.
Moving between Ghana and Nigeria, Braye has taken his time to nurture his craft over the years, and it comes as no surprise how rich he sounds. He is an example of what it feels like when one is poised to master their craft. With his debut single dropping in 2024, Braye has taken a bold step to not only follow it up with a song but also cement his place in the hearts of the listeners of alternative Jazz and Soul music.
The four-song project journeys through Braye’s emotions as he tries to understand the complexities of love. A listen to Braye’s early released singles, “Painless Melody” and “Bossa Nova,” shows someone who does not shy away from being expressive about his feelings. Wrapped in Reggae, Funk, Soul, and Jazz, this EP might just be him at his most vulnerable yet.
The opening song, “Stuck,” is a song of affirmation. Braye taps into his early Reggae influences as he offers words of encouragement to anybody who cares to listen on the importance of self-belief. Too often, as people, we find ourselves at crossroads with ourselves. Braye reminds us however that even though life will always not be easy, we must remain strong, confident, have a sense of self-belief, and never allow doubts to take hold of us.
The next song and project title, “I Wish I Had More Time,” takes us through self-love and building confidence in oneself. He talks about seizing the moment and making the most of it while we can. He speaks on the importance of taking charge of our lives after we have broken free of being stuck. “It’s my time, I want it all… Came up from the floor and now I’m going to fly.”
He points out how addictive pursuing our dreams can get when we try to make the most of the time we have. “I don’t want to take a break… always something new to chase.” Sometimes we reach out for so much, we lose sight of the little things and end up free-falling into the deep. Braye points out the paradox of chasing dreams, where if care is not taken in the pursuit of our goals, we may end up losing sight of what we truly want.
The project takes us further into another layer of love on the song “Bring You Home.” The song’s theme hinges on unrequited love. “Don’t you know you’re the one I love? Give me all your love.” He dedicates the entire song to bringing home this person he loves so much. The love he sings about is sad from a listener’s perspective, but Braye seems to be fine with living in this one-sided love affair. He paints a picture of someone who loves hard and loud. This is validated by the opening line of the song “All I wanted was to hold you, but it was my love that drove you away.” He goes on to describe his love as poison but also passion. It makes sense why, despite his intentions, the said love interest is being avoidant. No one wants to be caught in a poisonous love, regardless of how passionate it can be.
He slips into a sadder and somber mood on the last song, “Slipping Out Of Time.” The opening lines, “You said you needed some time… But I didn’t see why,” suggest a breakup. One Braye is broken by. As a real lover boy, he had pictured a forever with this person, “felt like forevermore,” but that was not meant to be. This song is the foundation of Braye’s passion for love. He gives his all and believes anything less than that is not love. He may not say that explicitly, but it can be inferred from the lyrics in “SOOT”.
With just four songs, Braye takes you through different layers of love in its diverse forms. His rawness makes it easy to connect with what he sings about. When he is happy, you hear it in his vocals; when he is sad, it reflects as well. He explores the importance of self-love and confidence, understanding how to control ambition while pursuing our dreams, and what it means to love and yearn for someone.
Perhaps the love he yearns for and is so expressive about, especially, is not love towards someone else but towards himself and his pursuit of his music career. It is important to note that Braye was exposed to music at a young age, but it took him a while to pursue it as he does now. Perhaps that is what he hopes he has more time to do; Or it is as direct as it is; he is talking about the art of loving and being loved by someone.
Written by Nana Kojo Mula.
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