By Tony Nwanne
It seems to be a new beginning for Nigerian-British singer, Lola Rae. After more than a year of no releases, the damsel is back to the music scene again. She made a come comeback with the release of a new song titled ‘One time’.
The new song is reggae rock-steady blended with elements of Caribbean music. The intriguing new tune released on July 11, is presented from a confident position that fair skinned singer is ready for the world this time and is playing on her own terms. “I’m coming with a new story, you want to move, don’t form for me,” she said.
She might have been a newbie, but the nature of her emergence showed that she had done her homework. She caught public attention in 2013, with her pop single ‘Watch my ting go’.
In the video of song, Rae’s fashion style was on point; and she came on with a lot of energy and dance moves that some of us would not deny ever imitating in front of the TV. The video also featured choreography from The CEO dancers and appearances from Iyanya, Emma Nyra and British-Nigerian comedian T-Boy.
March 2, 2013 was a night that will remain indelible in the minds of concert goers, as Rae showed she was not just a singer but also a performer. Though it was a night the Kukere, Iyanya hosted his sophomore album launch Iyanya vs. Desire at the Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos.
As a newbie at the time, Rae came on stage and owned it. She came out in long dark locks and an outfit that would have made Beyonce jealous. While some of the established acts gave wishy-washy performances, Rae showed she did her homework, her performance was energetic; she engaged with the crowd and made good use of the stage alongside back up dancers with sexy physiques.
As a follow up to her ‘Watch my ting go’, Rae released ‘Fi mi le’ in July 2013, a collabo with singer Iyanya. In November same year, her song ‘She knows, he knows’ featuring P2J leaked on the Internet.
In 2014, she released a colourful video popping with ethnic African prints for ‘Fi mi le’. She also featured on a couple of tracks by other artistes including the ‘We are one Africa’ song, which also featured Tiwa Savage, Davido, and Sarkodie; before going AWOL and returned again in January 2015 with ‘You know what my name is’.
Rae in the song she presented a different sound from her style of afrobeat and pop genre, boasted of her arrival and stated for a fact she was different from the other singers currently on the scene.
In between her disappearance, she did a few features and also live performances. But this time however, it seems as though she’s returned mellow, and all set to secure her place as a leading lady act in the Nigerian music industry.
