I first came across Afrie’s music when I listened to Let Her Know. Okay, that is not accurate – I actually came across her when I was invited to attend a So Far Kampala performance back in 2016 when the world was young and optimistic. 

She showed up on stage with an acoustic guitar, a keyboard, and her voice. You know that saying that goes: “Dance like no one is watching”? 

Afrie sings like the universe is watching – with her soul, and with the fierceness of a supernova. I was immediately enthralled by this supremely bold, and vocally gifted kid.

She’s fearless, and that is how she approaches her music. Listen to Let Her Know and let me know if you have heard a statement song of sorts like that.

https://youtu.be/O2mlJz4RYxk?si=JjVNK-kmE6a8CHud

She was about 19 when she wrote that particular piece, but she has the vocals of someone that has been prowling the planet for a while, and her lyricism (she writes her own music) is the sort of thing you find coming from an old soul. She teamed up with C19 (easily my favourite recording studio) for this gem of a song. I sit up whenever I see she’s dropped something.

Over & Above is a typically non-cliché bit of music. I can’t even begin to figure out where to place it. It has an adult contemporary feel to it that gives you country music vibes until you pay attention to its delightful groove which is about as rhythm and blues as a song. The song has religious overtones, which is not something you hear from Afrie often.

But the gratitude expressed in the lyrics is heartfelt, and the way the song is structured ensures it does not get too corny. Instead, it’s a fun, hyped, mid-tempo track whose production style is deliberately subtle without losing its oomph factor. The baseline is heady, and the percussion style the production team chose will have you trying out moves you didn’t know you had. 
Loved this!