After a deliberate six-year hiatus from the active recording scene, singer-songwriter and actress, Lami Phillips, is officially stepping back into the spotlight. The celebrated vocal powerhouse and music therapist is making a highly anticipated return to music with the release of her new single, Broken Crayons, signaling the beginning of a fresh chapter in a career defined by authenticity, soul and artistic depth.
  
Phillips, who is also United Nations (UN) envoy and Oxfam Ambassador for Women and Youths, said the new song and the documentary were inspired by observation. “I have always been fascinated by people; how we think, how we make decisions, the things we normalise, the identities we construct and the stories we tell ourselves. Broken Crayons is really an invitation to stop, to look again and to ask better questions,” she disclosed.
  
Known for her distinctively rich vocal texture and emotionally driven songwriting, Phillips’ return is not merely a comeback to the charts; it is a creative rebirth for an artiste who has spent her career using music as a vehicle for healing, empowerment, and social commentary.
   
According to Phillips, the song looks at a world that is becoming increasingly noisy, where influence is often mistaken for wisdom, and popularity for truth and imitation for originality. “Somewhere in all of that, many of us have forgotten how to think for ourselves,” she noted.
  
The comeback marks a significant milestone for fans of authentic Nigerian soul and R&B. It has generated excitement among fans who have long awaited new material from one of Nigeria’s most distinctive female voices. The Intuition hitmaker with various singles such as: Baby, Orimiwu and Yago explained that while the documentary feels like a bridge between whom she has been and who she is becoming, it is simply the visual extension of that conversation.
    
“It doesn’t tell people what to think; it invites them into the journey that shaped the music.

I wanted people to understand the person behind the art, because context often changes how we hear a song. At the end of the day, I’m less interested in making music that fills playlists than I am in making music that stays with people long after it has finished playing,” she stated.
  
Asked what makes her feel this is the right time to reveal that part of her to the world, the Director of Students and External Affairs at Dowen College. Lagos, said the documentary is probably the most personal thing she has ever shared; not because it reveals secrets, but because it provides context.
    
“People have experienced the music over the years without necessarily understanding the life that shaped it. This documentary is my invitation into that world. I was born into contrasts. People often describe me as ‘ajebutter’ and they are not wrong. I was born into privilege, and I don’t shy away from acknowledging that.
  
“However, the truth is that privilege was never the whole story. It taught me the value of systems, perspective and seeing the world beyond what was familiar. So I have never really belonged to one world,” she revealed.
  
Phillips’ return arrives at a fascinating juncture for the Nigerian music industry. While the global dominance of Afrobeats and Amapiano continues to break records, there is an enduring, growing hunger for acoustic purity, introspective lyricism, and mature vocal performances.