Rema Gives Us a Piece Of His Soul In His Debut Album 'Rave & Roses'

Nigerian singer Rema endows us with 'Rave & Roses' his debut album, alongside a tweet saying "Here's a piece of my soul to you"...

The 21-year-old singer released his highly-anticipated debut album 'Rave & Roses'. This comes after his career took off three years ago, in the wake of his breakout single 'Dumebi' from his debut EP 'Iron Man'. Rema, who pioneered Afro-rave, a sub-genre of the global Afrobeat genre, finally dropped the 17-track album filled with profundity, versatility and minimal but heavy features; from 6LACK, Chris Brown, AJ Tracey, and Yseult.

Rave & Roses is an exceptional output of Rema's musical evolution. The album conveys his diversified artistry, defined by openness and vulnerability being at the forefront, which is emphasized in the opening track 'Divine'. A heartfelt song melodically narrating his Mother's childbirth account of him, leading her to naming her son (who we know as Rema) Divine, representing the talented and gifted young man that he is today.

Although 'Rave & Roses' is more personal compared to most songs Rema has previously released, we're still able to capture his youthful, raving side that he's always displayed through his music. Standout songs such as 'Dirty' 'Jo', 'Time N Affection' ft Chris Brown, 'FYN' ft AJ Tracey, 'Soundgasm' and 'Wine' ft Yseult do well in exhibiting this. The songs delve into loss, the weight of the world on his shoulders, but overall living, loving and enjoying life.

The Afro-rave King has achieved so much, even gaining a range of celebrity fans and co-signs from the likes of Barack Obama, FKA TWIGS, and the late Virgil Abloh, just to name a few. With the album including a variety of afrobeat and carribean sounds, possessing that feel-good Summer vibe, Rema will surely give his fans amazing performances this year, as he is set to perform at Wireless Festival and the Strawberries & Creams in the UK this Summer.

'Rave & Roses' is a well-thought-out album, from start to finish, which will undoubtedly attain mainstream success whilst appealing to Rema's core fans at home and internationally.

Listen to 'Rave & Roses' here:

Words: Grace Zadi