Dela is not new to breaking records. Her cover of Adele’s hit song Hello received international attention that pushed her to a new level. She has outdone herself yet again by releasing the song Mama in four languages; Swahili,Kisii, French and Yoruba. No one has done that ever in Africa. She literally went into the studio and did the song four times giving everyone who can understand either (or all) of the languages a special attachment to the song. This widens her scope as an artist. By singing in Yoruba, Dela has set her foot in Nigeria and West Africa. This is a subtle way of introducing yourself to new audiences. Usually artists will use one or two phrases in another language and it unites two countries. Case in point is when Davido and Diamond linked Tanzania and Nigeria with their Number One collaboration. Now it is one song in four languages. This will be a hard act to follow.
The song Mama is a tribute to all the mothers who constantly sacrifice everything for their children. We need another mother’s day. Dela also celebrates mums for their unconditional love. There are so many songs about mothers than we can count. What stands out about this song is Dela’s powerful vocals that are complemented by rich lyrics. Dela is carving out her own style of music which leans more towards Chakacha, a genre associated with coastal Kenya. One can hear the similarities between this song and her song Mafeelings. Dela’s new style is good but her songs are beginning to sound the same.
One thing I have to credit Dela for is her consistency and the fact that she puts in the work. There are many people that have talent but few are willing to put in the work. She has been releasing song after song which has slowly earned her title of the Queen of Afro pop. The queen has set the bar (pun intended), good luck keeping up with that. Watch the lyric videos of the four songs in the playlist below.