The lead up to Candy Bleakz’s Fire EP revealed her as an artist so rare it instantly placed her in a niche of her own; a female singer in mainstream Street Pop. And she did not come with a attenuated version of it either; she bled the abrasive essence of the street in every line, bodied its slangs and mannerisms, and allowed a peek into Lagos’ underbelly in her music. Fire solidified and validated everything she had been slowly building in the years before it. In 2016, still a teenager, she competed in and won the Lagos Got Talent Competition, and that brought her first introduction to legendary rapper and the then CEO of Chocolate City, M.I.
She spent the next few years orbiting the label without being signed to it, releasing music under its subsidiary, Street Billionaires. Her official debut single, Owo Osu carried the weight of established Street stars in Naira Marley and Zlatan, a collaboration she earned after she released several freestyles that attracted their attention.
In 2020, her affiliation with Chocolate City matured into a formal signing, providing her with the platform to step up to the next level. She used it well: securing features like Teni and Rexxie, launching a modest hit in Tikuku, and then steamrolling it into a well-received debut project, which received praise for how, amongst other things, it brimmed with the authenticity of its origins. She barreled on the log-drum-addled version of percussive street pop that had come with the pandemic and was the soundtrack to the legwork dance. On Sango, the closer, she emerged beautifully from this box to display her adeptness at Drill as well.
Two years after her debut project, her reprise, Better Days, retains much of the essence of her street credibility, but it carries as well a certain amount of polish. Her status has improved between the projects, and as it has, so have her goals for her career. She was unaccompanied for all of the six songs on Fire, an approach that was smart for a younger star patiently looking to establish their sound. But better days are here now, and the next step of the ladder is a solid national presence. She gathers an impressive collection of companions on this journey, including rappers Vector, Bella Shmurda and the London-based DTG, but she remains in the driving seat, ensuring she keeps the album in orbit around Street Pop and Rap when some guests (like Simi and Bloody Civilian) with more RnB-Pop proclivities apply a soothing balm to their songs.
Still, it is hard to miss that her sound has become more refined, losing a lot of the unpredictability that makes Street Pop what it is. Her journey thus far has been tumultuous, to say the least. She admitted in interviews to having been through rocky experiences as a teenager: having to drop out of school due to inadequate financing, and selling fuel at a roadside filling station to survive. Now a foremost member of one of Nigeria’s biggest record labels, most of these experiences are more distant memories than parts of her current life. Her EP carries a lot of confidence as she basks in her recent progress, but not too much, because she is still far from where she wants to be. Debe captures this mindset: “Sticking with the plan mi o sare”, she sings, while Para, the next song, reiterates it in English: “In the long run I go make sure I’m the best one that you’ve heard of, kosi tension.” If the urgent drive of her hustle displays her determination and the strength of character, her willingness not to force anything is a function of her maturity. It was always going to be a steady rise to the top, and she was content with putting one foot in front of the other as she approached it.
She has not lost all of her bite coming into this project, however, although, for Better Days, her teeth are not quite as sharp. Para packs most of her edge, as she asks questions of her detractors: “Ta lo fe ma ba omi she ota, lifestyle zero fuga/ And i no dey gara, cos I get raba.” But while she aims at them, her intent is far from malicious. “I no dey buga”, she says, she is only pointing out her superiority, because her growth in the last few years has made bragging a lot easier. The EP spends most of its time in celebration of her change in fortunes, the reward of eight years of steady work. Like the typical Nigerian this celebration is in two legs, in the church to return the glory to God (Debe, Celepiano) and in the nightclub to party (No Worry, Party Hard).
Throughout the eight-track EP, eight different producers work to craft her new soundscape. Perhaps a touch too many, but they get most of the basics of her music across with enough cohesion. Talking drums and evocative flutes gently underscore many of the tracks, dotting the Afropop production with just enough Fuji as she looks to honor some of Street Pop’s heritage.
Better Days is a change of pace for anyone who has intently followed the slang-spitting Candy Bleakz through the last few years. A big side-effect of the overarching presence of Afrobeats in Nigerian music is that it becomes the inevitable magnet, pulling talents from their established genres to scoop from its enriching waters. For Candy Bleakz, however, artistic evolution has come at a more natural pace, and importantly, has allowed her to hold on to the best of two worlds as she matures her sound and embeds into the mainstream. She named her EP after the better days that she is currently experiencing, but the future holds even more promise for the self-styled Ladies Dragon.
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