Empress (album)

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Empress is the fifth studio album by Yemi Alade which was released through her label Effyzzie Music Group on 20 November 2020. The album features guest appearances from two french singers Dadju and Vegedream, her colleagues from Nigeria, Patoranking and Rudeboy while others are British Grammy winning singer Estelle and Mzansi Youth Choir from South Africa. musically the album is an afrobeat record with 15 tracks that incorporates elements of gospel music, couple decale, soul, pop, dancehall and highlife; all afro. Alade released "Boyz" and "True Love" as leading singles from the album.^[1][2] Three singles from the Album charted on Billboard Top Triller Global, making it the only Nigerian Female Album to have such entries on a single album. The album has been given generally positive reviews as it has also been described as an album that has given Alade her throne back as the queen of Afrobeats.^[3]

Empress
Studio album by Yemi Alade
Released	November 20, 2020 (2020-11-20)
Recorded	2018-2020
Genre	Afrobeats Highlife soul pop dancehall
Length	48:00
Label	Effyzzie Music Group
Producer	Yemi Alade (exec.) (exec.) Krizbeatz Victor Kpoudosu (Vtek) Egar Boi Jimmy Huru Yung Felix
Yemi Alade chronology
Woman of Steel (2019) Empress (2020)
Singles from Empress
"Boyz" Released: February, 2020 "True Love" Released: June 2020 "I Choose You" Released: November 20, 2020 "Deceive" Released: December 23, 2020 "Turn Up" Released: February 18, 2021 "Temptation" Released: April 7, 2021 "Dancina" Released: May 12, 2021 "Rain" Released: June 21, 2021

Background and promotion[]

Empress is an African experience which gleans several African elements in themes and diverse range of afropop. On its cover was an art that showcased the Alade as an African regality. Empress is an afrobeats record that is built mostly in elements of highlife and dancehall. The melodies of Empress are perfectly suited to a live experience.^[4] Alade revealed in an interview that when she released her previous album Woman of Steel, She was already recording Empress. Alade spent two years recording the album. She also said that most of the tracks from the album were produced in Amsterdam with the help of her European sound engineers alongside her crew.^[5] The album features guest appearances from two french singers Vegedream and Dadju, two Nigerian artistes Patoranking and Rudeboy, It also features the British Grammy award-winning singer Estelle and the notable Mzansi Youth Choir.

Composition[]

The first album track is "True Love" which incorporates elements of amapiano South African house music; Alade sings "DJ play that happy music, .... leave the negativity for back" as a mode of setting aside your sadness for happiness through music. The second track is Yoyoyo built in highlife from southeastern Nigeria; Alade fantasizes about a typical Nigerian play boy and college scarlet girl. In "Mami Water"; Mami water is a Nigerian concept of a mermaid. It is used to described light-skinned beautiful women or women possessed by the spirit of Poisedon. The Vegedream assisted track is "Lose My Mind". Alade collaborated with a French singer and rapper to produce a song with an African expression of love. Dancina the fifth track is a dance song that has a European/Ghanaian originated beat. "Boyz" is a dancehall track from the album; Alade describes the qualities of the type of men she desires. "I Choose You" featuring Dadju is a pop song.^[6] Alade again uses dancehall and afrofusion elements in "Control" which is the eight track. "Temptation" features Patoranking Alade's counterpart and co-coach in the Voice Nigeria. Ice is a dive from afrobeats; Alade displayed her vocal dexterity.^[7] Rudeboy was featured on the eleventh track "Deceive"; Alade tells of a story of deception in love. "Turn Up" is yet again another highlife from the album; Alade sings about her loving an ideal celebrity-like man. Rain the thirteenth track featuring the notable Mzansi Youth Choir from South Africa; an African gospel music Alade sings about unison. "Weekend" is a track that features the British Grammy winning singer Estelle; Alade takes a break from her regular Pan-African sounds in this track.^[7] The last track from the body of work is "Double Double". Alade uses electronic highlife to be joyful for her achievements.^[4]

Track listing[]

Credits adapted from Genius, album cover art and other publications^[8][9]

All tracks are written by Yemi Alade.

Personnel[]

Credits adapted from Alade's album cover

• Yemi Alade - primary artiste, composer and executive producer
• Taiye Aliyu - executive producer
• Vtek - producer (track 1,6,11,13,15) and extra vocals (track 15)
• Krizbeatz - producer (track 2,12)
• Jimmy Huru - producer (track 3, 8, 11)
• Egar Boi - producer
• Yung Felix - producer
• Fiokee - guitar (track 2, 12)
• Max Meurs - guitar
• Vegedream - featured artiste
• Estelle - featured artiste
• Dadju - featured artiste

Release history[]

Charts[]

Singles from the album charted in Top Triller Global(billboard)^[10]

Critical reception[]

Empress garnered 10 million streams on YouTube and YouTube music alone within days of its release. Within four weeks, it had twenty million streams on all streaming platforms making it one of Yemi Alade's album to have the highest stream upon early stages of its release.

1 ^[11] Motolani Alake of 'Pulse' said the album uses space to produce feel good music. ‘Empress’ is African experience which gleans several African elements in themes and diverse range of Afro-pop. Topically, it explores different aspects of love and emotion - be it in from the perspective of kinship as heard on ‘Rain’ or romance as heard on the others songs on the album.' Meanwhile, he gave the album a score of 5.9/10

2 ^[12] Oyin Aregbesola of 'Sounds of Africa' said the album is an amalgamation of what Yemi is known for plus a mash of Afro-pop, Gospel House, Highlife, Soul, Coupe decale, Gospel, and even Dancehall, and that she created a body of work that has something for everyone but still manages to be authentic.

3^[13] Olayiide Bolaji of THE SCOOVE AFRICA gave the Album an 8/10, saying Empress is Yemi Alade's best album yet and that she incorporates Afrobeats into all parts of the world with the body of work

4 ^[14] Notjustok describes it as a feast of sounds, saying Its diverse yet cohesive nature serves as an aural depiction of the cultural richness of Africa with something to suit everyone's palates

References[]