Listening to new music especially the not-so-popular ones can sometimes be a chore. Every project is a gamble. Hitting the play button comes with a sharp flush of anxiety, as you mindlessly whisper, “please let it be a good one.” Occasionally, this gruesome task is rewarded with a nice sonic adventure but most often, you end up just skimming through the project, trying to convince yourself that you gave it a fair chance, never to visit again.

However, there are those very rare moments when you experience that bone-chilling thrill of discovery. You’re just a few seconds into a tape but you already know that you’re in for a joyride. You’ve struck gold. After days of tilling through bland and grating releases, you have finally found oil, and you can’t just wait to share this discovery with your friends. That’s exactly what I felt when I listened to Naya Akanji and Lemar Abdul’s collaborative tape, “Vivid Emotions.”

Featuring no guests save for Sydny who helped in its engineering, the project finds both parties playing to their strength. Lemar Abdul solely handles the production, while Naya Akanji lays down the vocals across the 4-track EP.

“Vivid Emotions” is a well-crafted tape that transports you into a breezy world of Afropop, with highly sinkable melodies, well laced with good songwriting. It is a project that serves as an introduction to an act that proves herself worthy of our undivided attention. It plays like a promise of better things to come, as Naya forges her raw talents into shining diamonds.

This project comes highly recommended by us at the PGM Club. Listen and let us know it’s good enough to place her on your list of artists to look out for.