Today, CKay released his own stripped down Home Session on Apple music. For the Home Session series—in which Apple Music challenge artists to record intimate versions of their own tracks, alongside covers of their favourite classics—Nigerian Afropop maverick, chose songs close to his heart.
The Home Session EP, available to stream on Apple Music in Spatial Audio, will feature two reimagined originals “Emiliana” (emo version) and “Jeje de Whine” (acoustic) as well as special covers.
CKay’s breakthrough came in 2021 with his song, “Love Nwantiti” (Ibo for “small love”), and in November of the same year it became the first Nigerian song to debut on the US Billboard Hot 100 without first appearing on the Primary Bubbling Under 100 chart.
“They all sonically connected with me on a crazy level, and when they came out they captured specific moments in my life,” he tells Apple Music. “I also think they were culture-defining moments in pop music history. They weren’t just songs. They were moments.” Here, he takes turns with stripped-back versions of his singles “Emiliana” and “Jeje de Whine”, alongside covers of XXXTENTACION and Trippie Redd’s “F**k Love” and Gyptian’s “Hold You (Hold Yuh)”.
“The lockdown taught me to listen to myself more and become better friends with myself,” he explains. “It also showed me the power of the internet. Like, I knew the internet was powerful, but it’s even more powerful than I thought it was.”
It’s that same power that saw his 2019 single “Love Nwantiti” and its several remixes sweep both global music charts and TikTok alike, and propelled the Afrobeats star born Chukwuka Ekweani to new heights. And he’s leaned into the freedom that creating music in the midst of an ongoing pandemic provides.
“‘Change’ is a strong word,” he explains, “but [this period] has made me make adjustments to myself here and there. It helped me trust my sound more. It gave me time to experiment and try new ideas. That has been rewarding, and I’m very excited for my debut album.”
Discover CKay’s exclusive Apple Music Home Session EP that showcases his skill in crafting unique, futuristic Afropop.
Discover CKay’s exclusive Apple Music Home Session EP that showcases his skill in crafting unique, futuristic Afropop.
Listen Now: https://music.apple.com/ng/album/apple-music-home-session-ckay-ep/
Featured image credits / Courtesy of Ken Vii / Pause Magazine via CKay / Instagram
