Azawi's "Addict": Catchy beat, lazy lyrics – A frustrating new direction

Music Review:Addict – Azawi

There are lots of things I like about Azawi’s latest song, Addict, but I am going to start with the things I don’t like.

Why, you ask? Because I sense a dangerous possibility that she might lean towards. We are fixing the nation, musically speaking.

What I don’t like? Addict is lyrical drivel. This is something we could never have accused Azawi of in the past. From the onset, it was obvious she was the one penning her own work (anyone here old enough to remember Quinamino?

In fact, the industry rumour is that she walked into Swangz Avenue simply to put down a demo track with a producer she preferred and once the head honchos listened to the result, they tapped her up. Probably one of those urban legends you cannot verify, but it put emphasis on crediting her with the song writing.

It fit a certain pattern that became symbolic of Azawi’s music: it followed a production style that was trending, and industry appropriate, it worked for her vocals, and its lyrical choices were built around an earnestness that was simultaneously relatable. There was a weight, a heft to her music. You took her seriously.

Addict is the laziest bit of song writing I have heard this year, and has none of these qualities. It sounds like it was written by a trending Tik Tok influencer with the IQ of a tree. I know, I know, it is basic pop music with bubble quality but did it need to sound like a nursery rhyme written for teenagers? Who wrote this? I am willing to bet good money it wasn’t Azawi; if it was, perhaps we can begin to accuse her of complacency. And no, the song’s being multilingual does not camouflage this.

Now that we have that out of the way, let’s have a look at what I liked: it’s bar room fun: the sort of song you want to have booming through whatever sound system exists at your local when you decide to push through your curfew hour on a long weekend which is the result of a public holiday.

The song’s harmonies are alright, though they do have a somewhat electronic feel to them. I love the synth electric that the song rounds off with and that bass groove is undeniably catchy.

The percussion is groovy and simultaneous – percussion is an underrated strength of what the producers at Swangz Avenue can do. The instrumentation used for Addict is top drawer stuff.

You just get the impression from the song writing, that they do not have a high opinion of the audience that will be bopping to this track.