Homeless is a powerful and poignant exploration of Llona’s resilience and vulnerability.
By Hope Ibiale
Llona’s ability to convey raw emotions through his music has established him as an artiste to watch out for. His music, infused with emotional life experiences, instantly resonates with listeners, drawing them into his heartfelt tales of pain. For his debut album, Homeless, Llona (real name Michael Ajumah Attah) has crafted a 12-track project that taps into these experiences. The project showcases his introspective nature, as he thoughtfully reflects on his experiences and channels his pain into art.
The Kogi-born artiste first burst into the music scene under the moniker, Tooclasiq. Under this name, he released a debut EP titled 4 Am released in 2021. In 2022, he revamped his whole identity and returned as Llona.
Under this new identity, he released songs like “Nobody” and “Comforter” in 2022 and followed it up with 2023’s “HBP”. This year, he teased his debut album with records like “How I Live” and “Cold War”. Unlike his previous music, which was predominantly Pop songs which drew on his experiences as a young man navigating Lagos, his current discography is infused with more mid-tempo tunes that revolve around his struggles, showcasing a notable evolution in his sound.
Following the release of songs that unveiled a new dimension of his artistry, Llona returns with his highly anticipated debut album. With Homeless, he delves into a wide range of themes, from grappling with fear and uncertainty to navigating heartbreak and seeking solace. Llona’s remarkable ability to channel his pain and struggles through his music not only underscores his significant growth as an artist but also forges a profound connection with his listeners, rendering it as a captivating and impactful debut album.
His collaborations with Nigerian artistes such as Fave, Wizard Chan, and Bella Shmurda add a rich tapestry of perspectives to the themes explored in the album, thereby enriching its emotional depth and resonance.
Llona sets the stage for the album straight away with “Still Scared”. Here, he admits to his fear of failure, the sacrifices he has made, and his journey so far, and indirectly pushes himself to keep striving for excellence.
Unlike a few album openers where artistes are in a celebratory mode or offer a supplication to God, Llona takes a different route as he sings about grappling with fear. Despite his underlying fear, he remains resilient. At the end of the record, a spoken word artist is heard saying, “Hear my songs of sorrow. Hear my tales of turmoil”, a clear indication of the stories Llona seeks to explore throughout the project.
In the next track, “Commander”, he features Wizard Chan, and together they continue to build on the theme of resilience established in the album’s opening track. From the first lines sung on the record, “Listen, commander is speaking, I’m here for a reason/ Cannot drop your weapon you know that’s fucking treason”, listeners may already deduce that for Llona, the music industry is a battlefield, and he is a soldier who keeps on fighting despite being battered. Wizard Chan’s ethereal chants give the record a spiritual feel as he asks God to bless him and his comrades.
While the “Cold War” crooner is a relentless soldier in “Commander”, he is numb and vulnerable on the next record, “Can’t Breathe”. Over piano keys and drum kicks, the singer belts out a sorrowful tune about violence and surviving amidst his internal battles. Aside from being numb, he is also angry as he sings, “And if you asked me, I’ll say I don’t care, really don’t care if I’m not the one wanted/ They want to hold me down, I’m not your homie now.”
Violin melodies, backup vocals, and the cinematic soundscape elevate “Another Day”, where Llona boldly narrates his hustle story. Here, he acknowledges the motivation behind his pursuit of success—his mother and brothers—and expresses optimism that things will improve despite the bad days he faces. “HBP” comes next and sees Llona and Bella Shmurda join forces to address naysayers. Shmurda adds his distinct vocals in support of Llona’s stance, as he advises listeners not to pay attention to unbelievers.
The cheerful saxophone instrumentals that kick off “Stranger” might deceive listeners into thinking that the record is a happy song, but when the first lines of the record come on, “Oh, you took everything from me”, it becomes clear that this is a heartbreak song.
Unlike typical heartbreak songs dedicated to an ex-lover, Llona dedicates this record to his father. Throughout the record, he poignantly describes how he now perceives his father as a stranger. The way he approaches the record demonstrates that his father’s absence is a profoundly painful aspect of his personal story.
Llona assumes the persona of a hopeless romantic in “Gangsta Love Letter”. Here, he delivers a melancholic love song; he yearns for a love affair and promises to be the best lover despite his turbulent past. Homeless is a collection of sad stories, and even when the singer delivers a love song, it is coated in sadness, violence, and pain.
On the previously released single, “Cold War”, Llona features Fave. On the record, he is vulnerably open as he sings about his struggles with mental health and fairweather acquaintances. Fave delivers a terrific performance, tackling the record head-on with her powerful vocals and emotive delivery. The chemistry between the artistes enhances the song’s brilliance.
In “Comforter”, Llona establishes that he seeks solace in cannabis, women, and the divine. In the accompanying tracks, “Billion Dollar” and “Rollercoaster”, Llona continues to wear his pain like a second skin without seeking help. He simply sits in his pain and channels this emotion into his music. Like most of the records on this album, Llona does not hide his struggles with pain or his attempts to seek help from the right places.
The album closes with “Forgive Me”, a record where he earnestly seeks penance for his future sins. Ultimately, Homeless is Llona’s poignant account of the various forms of pain he has encountered. Throughout the album, he candidly sings about the diverse forms of pain he has faced: the pain of growing up without his father, the pain of shouldering numerous responsibilities, the pain of grappling with guilt, and the pain of dealing with malicious individuals.
One thing he should be praised for is his ability to seamlessly tie the album to one narrative. All the records on the album carried a variant of his pain and this ensured the album’s cohesiveness. When it comes to songwriting, he shines as he is able to show his pain and this intention is evident in the words he uses to express his emotions. They are emotive and simple and pass the message across.
The guest features also tapped into the vision of the album, making admirable contributions. Moreover, the album’s overall song production, handled by Damien, Og Sterling, Blackboy, Vampire Beatz, Che, LOL, and Tuzi, is well-balanced and restrained, neither overwhelming nor overshadowing the artiste’s vocals. Instead, it perfectly complements Llona’s storytelling, rendering Homeless a powerful and poignant exploration of resilience and vulnerability.
Lyricism – 1.4
Tracklisting – 1.4
Sound Engineering –1
Vocalisation – 1.2
Listening Experience – 1.4
Rating – 6.4/10
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.