The overall execution of Better Days demonstrates Candy’s maturity and ability to deliver impactful messages through her music.
By Hope Ibiale
As street pop music continues to excite audiences across Nigeria and the rest of the world, the sound continues to mint new, must-listen-to voices every day, Nigerian artiste, Candy Bleakz is one of those voices music lovers need to pay attention to. While still a student at Onabisi Onabanjo University, Candy started making music, and in 2015, the artiste decided to pursue music professionally. Not long after, one of her freestyle videos caught the attention of fellow street pop artiste Naira Marley, who invited her for a studio session. That encounter led to the record “Owo Osu” and since then Candy has been on the rise.
In 2022, she released her debut EP, Fire, a 6-track project that firmly established her as a street pop artiste. Two years later, the self-acclaimed “Ladies Dragon”, is back with her sophomore project, Better Days. As the title indicates, these are better days for the artiste. She cohesively fits her personal experiences to give a well structured project. Better Days stands as a testament to Candy Bleakz’s evolution as an artiste, showcasing her growth, confidence, and refined craft.
Better Days kicks off with the Bloody Civilian-assisted “Debe”. She starts the project praying to God to take her to a higher level, while she reminisces on the hurdles she has overcome. This follows the pattern of artistes who begin a project on a philosophical note or by sharing life nuggets. Candy Bleakz sings, “Baba gbe mi debe, ibi giga ti mama mi o de, gbe mi debe o. I’m turning my pain to melodies” (God take me there. A higher level where my mother never got to, take me there). As she begs God to elevate her, she also understands that it might take a while.
Bloody Civilian’s soulful addition fits seamlessly into the sober narrative of “Debe”. The line “If you’re gonna pray for me please wash your hands” gets my attention because of its brilliant underlying meaning. It alludes to the biblical saying that the prayers of the unrighteous are an abomination, and Bloody Civilian creatively tweaks this to suit her message. “Debe” is a fantastic project opener. Candy and Bloody’s individual artistry work hand-in-hand to deliver one of the most soothing and melodious tracks on this project. On one hand, Candy Bleakz transforms her struggles into melodies and seeks help from a supreme power. On the other hand, Bloody Civilian calls out antagonists in her success story and remains unmoved in the face of adversity.
Once “Para” comes on, my mind involuntarily expects to hear Asake’s neo-Fuji flows because of the similarity in production style and delivery. The way Candy navigates the thumping production and talking drums is almost similar to a few songs in Asake’s discography, such as “Remember”, “Peace Be Unto You” and Sarz’s “Happiness”. But when you separate from the similarities, that is where Candy’s “Para” peaks. Like Fela who repeatedly belted “Water e no get enemy/omi olo ta o” in the 1999 record “Water No Get Enemy”, Candy reiterates in this track’s chorus as ”Ta lo fe ma bomi sho ta” (Who wants to make water the enemy?) is repeated on the record. Candy embraces a life of ease and focuses on becoming successful. The addition of the talking drum at the middle and latter end of “Para” makes the record more interesting.
The street pop record “No Worry” is the next track on Better Days. Unlike previous records where Candy reflects on life and offers hope to listeners, here, the artiste delivers a party jam that could easily fit into the playlist of a street carnival in many parts of Nigeria. With lyrics like “I can’t feel myself, I can’t feel my legs, I can’t feel my body no more, I can’t help myself”, it is evident that the artiste has given herself to guilty pleasures. The buildup from “Debe” to “No Worry” is impressive as a result of Candy’s refined artistry and glaring ability to navigate different production chops and infuse melodies into whatever story she tells.
The title of the next track, “Celepiano” is an immediate disappointment. I still don’t understand why Nigerian artistes like to put tags to music genres and their obsession with wanting to be pioneers of a sound. “Celepiano” is a clear homage to religious affiliations, but it could also have executed without the “Piano” in the title. Log drums are infused here, but at this point, it appears like a forced execution. Perhaps the record would have sounded better if the intent behind creating the song was not to depict the artiste as innovative. One can easily recognise the signature hand clapping if they paid attention and it is clear that Candy taps the spiritual associations that are typical of a certain Christian sect. The artiste prays for continuous goodness and wards off bad luck, but the record is a disjointed marriage between this church music and Amapiano.
On “Blessing” Candy resumes churning out street pop records. Over the heavy log drums, Candy is comfortable as she belts out street lingo that makes the record a signature street bop. Alongside the crowd vocals, the artiste echoes her life mantra to never rely on anyone, “God know say na only me dey for me”. In the second verse, Candy takes the song up a notch as she flows seamlessly over the produced song. While some listeners might get lost in the melodies and log drums, another element worth commending on this project is her penmanship.
Crowd vocals set the tone for “Party Hard”. And I understand the aesthetic of adding crowd vocals that might attract an eager audience on TikTok. But hearing crowd vocals at every turn of the project seems like an overkill at this point. As a listener, I’d like to listen to the artiste’s solo delivery and the occasional backup vocals rather than the repeated animated crowd vocals. Like the name of the record implies, Candy and British rapper DTG express their desire to party forever.
Originally released in 2023, “Wale” (Come Home) reappears on Better Days. The track, which is a tribute to Candy’s mother, now features Simi, whose tender melodies elevate the emotions in this heartfelt delivery. Candy and Simi explore how adults find it hard to form genuine connections with their parents or strengthen familial bonds. Candy sings, “Outside for my money every day I stress, mama is missing me woni otipe. Omo mi wale, wale o”. Devoid of crowd vocals, listeners can fully immerse themselves in the emotions of both artistes. The interpolation of Jesse King’s “Mummy” and a vocal recording of Candy’s mother praying makes “Wale” a more beautiful and relatable track. Candy’s reason for delaying her return home until she achieves success mirrors that of many young Nigerians. However, when everyone at home is gone, who are they amassing wealth for?
Better Days closes off with the Vector and Bella Shmurda-assisted record, “I Don’t Care”. On the record, the artistes join forces to reiterate a huge bulk of the message this project tries to pass across. They all sing about focusing on attaining success and ignoring naysayers. Bella Shmurda and Vector’s contribution to the record is measured and perfectly arranged. With each delivering, their stance on what success means to them, they produced a relatable record. The slow-tempo production and mixing don’t overshadow their voices as their voices are clearly heard.
With a runtime of twenty minutes, Better Days is a good project layered with flawless delivery from Candy Bleakz. She shares her struggles and prays for a miracle on “Debe” to seeking success on “Para”, “Blessing”, and “I Don’t Care”. She moves to churn party jams with “Party Hard” and “No Worry”. Later on, she pays homage to motherhood on “Wale” and makes reference to her religious affiliation on “Celepiano”. The revolving themes of love, success, religion , seeking solitude, and enjoying what life has to offer ties the project into a wholesome enjoyable EP. The instruments and the whole project’s production also contribute to the project’s cohesiveness. Each song has similar elements like log drums, hand clapping, Afrobeats, talking drums, and the overall Street-Hop sound. Every song fits into the project and nothing feels like an album filler.
Better Days is Candy’s identity. It represents her growth and state of mind as an artiste, chronicling the struggles she has faced in her career. Thus, we can say Better Days is a letter to her past self and a reflection of her journey. While the fusion of crowd vocals could have been more restrained in certain tracks, the overall execution demonstrates Candy’s maturity and ability to deliver impactful messages through her music. Compared to her debut project, she shows a marked improvement in her focus and storytelling, ensuring that each track serves a purpose and contributes to the overarching narrative of the EP. On records like “Wale” and “I Don’t Care” listeners may not be distracted by the overbearing crowd vocals as with “Party Hard”. As a sophomore project, Better Days is well-rounded and perfectly executed. Candy doesn’t repeat the same mistakes she made with her debut project, Fire, where the artiste focused more on curating party records/hit records and flits in and out of the project.
As Candy continues to refine her sound and hone her skills, Better Days serves as a promising glimpse into her potential. With strong A&R guidance, confidence, and a commitment to delivering meaningful messages, Candy Bleakz has set a high bar for herself with Better Days, leaving audiences eager to see what she has in store for the future.
Lyricism – 1.3
Tracklisting – 1.4
Sound Engineering –1.2
Vocalisation – 1.4
Listening Experience – 1.4
Rating – 6.7/10
Hope Ibiale is a writer and journalist. She has a keen interest in music, film, and literature. You can connect with Hope on X @hopeibiale and via email: hopeibiale@afrocritik.com.