By Emmanuel “Waziri” Okoro

Afro-Pop has always had a soft spot for love, whether it is explored through grand gestures, flirtations, or the mundane reassurance of wanting someone around. Romance has always provided the genre with some of its enduring sounds, from 2Face’s “African Queen”, Davido’s “Aye”, Tiwa Savage’s “Love Me Love Me Love Me”, or Wizkid’s “Essence”.

On “Play”, UK-based Afro-Pop artiste, Bless Bee (born Blessing Jayeola) leans into that tradition, directing her attention towards a muse who has completely intoxicated her senses. There is little hesitation in the way she goes about it. She has fallen in love, and rather than resist the feeling, she throws caution to the wind and declares her commitment.

For an artiste who has spent seven years making music, Bless Bee has steadily built her catalogue one song at a time. Singles such as “Sooner”, “Solo” and “New” have helped establish the foundations of her discography, while her position in the UK gives her music another dimension. She occupies that increasingly important space between the Nigerian home front and its diaspora, injecting her own dynamism into Afro-Pop while helping to bridge the distance between both worlds.

“Play” opens with acoustic-led guitar grooves, soft drum pads and breezy basslines, immediately establishing a relaxed mid-tempo pocket. The production is light enough to keep the focus on Bless Bee’s voice, allowing her to flex her vocals without fighting for space. Lyrically, the song leans on repetition. “Baby jowo stay / You dey make my day / Baby, everyday na your tape I dey play” forms much of its central refrain, reinforcing the idea of a woman who cannot seem to get enough of her lover.

One can argue that the repetition is both the song’s strength and its limitation. She sings the same lines over and over again. However, one can also argue that the repetition mirrors the fixation itself.
This is someone whose mind keeps returning to the same person. It’s almost obsessive. Her vocal delivery helps give the song its personality. Crisp and assured, Bless Bee moves between different vocal registers without losing the breezy quality of her performance. She does not oversing the record or force emotion into moments that do not require it.

As such, “Play” is a reminder that the spotlight does not always have to find the loudest voice; sometimes, it simply needs to find the ones quietly building something worth hearing. Much more than that, it reveals that Bless Bee is one of the voices within Afro-Pop that deserves a closer look. It earns a 7/10.