Yemi Alade wraps her tongue around new markets in "Mama Afrique" EP

Extended Play - Mama AfriqueArtiste - Yemi AladeRecord Label - Effyzzie Music Group (2017)Duration - 36 minutes

You have to love Yemi Alade and how she keeps trying to penetrate the heart of the African continent.

The singer who is currently one of the biggest artists on the continent continue to define new ways to consolidate her position and break new grounds.

Her 2016 album “Mama Africa” was designed to connect with fans on the continent, and although back home in Nigeria she had failed to truly capture a radio hit, her power in multiple African countries and parts of Europe has skyrocketed, with sold out venues and packed concerts being the story of her travel.

But she’s not done. Yemi Alade and her team are unsatisfied with the glory that follows her across continents. They want more, hence the need to drop a project whicb reflects that. Introducing “Mama Afrique” the all-new multi-language project that contains songs done in English, French, Swahili, and Portuguese.

There is no new record here. All her earlier releases 'Gucci Ferragamo', 'Charliee', 'Want you', and 'Nakupenda, are all on this project.

But the key is in the delivery. ‘Want you’, a song designed for the UK market is remixed by French producer Ricii Lompeur, who emphasizes on meandering EDM synths to further increase it’s dance floor value. ‘Charliee’ and ‘Gucci Ferragamo’ are classic Yemi Alade, exploring her shaky relationship with love. ‘Nagode’ and Nakupenda’ are delivered in French, but the latter interestingly gets a Portuguese and Swahili remix.

‘Go down’ is a new record, It’s romantic praise-singing, is delivered in stop-start fashion. It makes for a fitting end for this.

“Mama Afrique” was never sold as a novel project, rather it is an extension of 2016’s “Mama Africa.” It’s a great idea to increase her project count, and feed foreign markets with new material. Yemi Alade has very little plans to let go of those countries, hence there’s a feeling that this is a confirmation of her growing influence beyond traditional African markets.