MUSIC REVIEW: ‘Want You’ by Yemi Alade

I am confused about my feelings for Yemi Alade’s latest single “Want You”. The song, as you can guess from the title, is about how she feels about a man (i.e., she wants him) and what she is willing to do to make him her man. At some point, she offers to be his sponsor, which is interesting to me, because that sponsor story is never considered on the side of the woman, is it? Even though it quite openly happens.

WATCH: “Want You”

The video is set on a beach and various vacation locales; think beach volleyball and rides is drop-tops against a backdrop of Omi’s "Cheerleader". It has much of the same vibe – vibrancy, patwa/Lingala inspired dancing, and small outfits.

I thought she was going to break out into Bumaye during the video.

Though I rarely expect Yemi to deliver, in my opinion, on any lyrical prowess, the song, at the very least, is colourfully entertaining with a danceable beat. The lyrics don’t do it for me at all, but I do admire her attempt to reinvent herself, or rather, go in a different direction from her usual type of music. I get a sense of awkwardness in the video and the song, however – it is your run-of-the-mill EDM-with-Nigerian-flavour inspired song, and Yemi doesn’t look like she really belongs in it, or in the genre. But at least she’s trying, right?