CKay Sad Romance Album Review. CKay Sad Romance Captures His Emo-Afrobeats Genre

Ever since the song “Love Nwantiti” skyrocketed into a global Afrobeat sound, Ckay’s career has been on a progressive trajectory. It’s always been from one certification to another. For someone who tagged his genre “Emo-Afrobeats”,. His records are emotional, made from a place packed with feelings, and the production is designed to target the heart and the mushy parts of the head.

The beautiful thing about his songwriting is his twisted way with words. Ckay could tell a regular ass story from a new angle and usher you into a new, familiar world. Everything cliche takes on a new light, and you’ll begin to wonder why you’ve never tasted love like this.



Ckay first released ‘Love Nwantiti’ in August 2019 as part of his eponymous EP "Ckay The First" A standout, it attracted listeners and showed promise. To explore that potential, in February, he dropped the remix with Joeboy and Ghana’s Kuami Eugene, and that move skyrocketed the jam, where it lived on the periphery of radio. Joeboy and Kuami’s dynamism and verses turned it into a goldmine and effectively made it one of the songs of the pandemic last year. It raised Ckay’s profile and money, giving him a valuable hit record.

Born Chukwuma Ekweani, Ckay began his career in the city of Kaduna, hustling and trying to make beautiful music before he ran to Lagos to seek fame and wealth. In 2016, he secured a deal with Chocolate City as an artist and producer. After that period, Osagie Alonge asked MI, “Who the Fvck is Ckay?” On Loose Talk Podcast. The question made Ckay release an EP titled “Who The Fvck is Ckay?” In 2017 as a direct response to Osagie Alonge’s question.

In 2020, Ckay inked a record deal signing with Warner Bros Records and also got a feature on Davido’s album, “A Better Time” on a song titled “Lala”.

After the success of 2020, Ckay has released tracks and featured Davido on this new album, where he unleashed a precious bit of his emotions on this debut titled “Sad Romance”.

Sad Romance gets off to start with “You”. The trumpet ushered Ckay in, with his identity vocal, where Ckay asserts his feelings for the woman he loves. He sings; ‘Let me put it down on you If you don’t understand let me break it down for you Baby I’m in love with you, Baby I’m in love with you Ooo”. If there exists R&Biano, this song is a perfect sample; it combines R&B melody while the Amapiano sound leans towards the end where the log drum beat surfaces.

On the soft tempo, “Mmadu”, Ckay puts his sonorous vocal to use as he muses on hedonism. Ckay craves sensual affection from his lover, indulging himself in sexual feelings with the lyrics. A sultry tune proves that Ckay is not shy in writing about his sexual desire. "Now now, Girl I want you now, Make I roll my loud loud, Make I glide pon the ting, Make I slide pon the ting, I go make you pass out, Girl na you go first tap out, When I roll my loud loud, Make I glide pon the ting, Make I slide pon the ting". The song is notable for its guitar ticks, sax underneath, and vocal progression, beginning at a very slow pace before outbursts of energy lift the tempo a bit in the final minute.



Rendered from the perspective of a deep-hurt lover who is doing a horrible job at moving on, the track "Leave me alone" has Ckay yelling, “Where did we go wrong? Sixteen missed calls, Talking to you is like talking to a wall, My mind no dey there.”

In the minimalist “You cheated, I Cheated Too”, he tells the story of a love gone sour, expressing his desire to salvage what is left of a romantic relationship even if it has hit the rocks. He paid his lover back by cheating. He sings; "You Cheated, I Cheated too" Ckay lays his emotions bare about his feelings; "You cheated, I cheated too, You’re twisted, I’m twisted too (Yeah), You think sey you wicked, I wicked too, You dey use my heart dey catch your cruise"

"Come close" is a soft love tune. The record closes out with a soft-tempo tune that has Ayra Starr craving for long moments as she assures her love interest of sustained presence.

On “Watawi” feat Davido & Focalistic, there is less sensuality & more introspection. Aided by a Keyboard, percussion and log drum blend for an amapiano vibe, this song dwells on a man who's not keen on an intense relationship, no love, just casual. In the chorus, Ckay sings; "She tells me Watawi, She tell me Qatari, I tell her we are what we are, I tell her baby no reason am too far". This high-tempo chorus comes with a catchy hook that amplifies the rhetoric “Watawi” question. Davido’s verse in the song is memorable, and Focalistic’s delivery blends smoothly.



On Soja, there is a naughtiness to the way CKay says, “she take it like a Soja, Soja, Soja, Woah-woah-woah, she say go in slower” It’s intentional and suggestive. You know what’s going on, but he delivers the line in a manner that gives you little room to complain. Who doesn’t love bad boys? Ckay stands out as one on this track.

“Samson & Delilah” joins the catalogue of love songs. Albeit, a repetition of “Soja”. Same beat and the same composition. Different lyrics. The sincerity of love in Ckay’s verse and Mayra Andrade’s delivery continues to tug at one’s heartstrings.

The lyrics on “By Now” “We suppose don fuck by now, How you go dey tease me up till now Eh up till now Make I turn your body upside down Make our neighbours hear the sound It’s me and you no one’s around ah No one’s around ah” is the lyrics for an opening sequence that nods to Omah Lay’s “Bad Influence”. However, this song wasn’t necessary for the album. The album already had neat love songs like "soja" and "Emiliana", and if he had to add a song to that lineup, the song should’ve been worth it. This one was not. The hook is the Achilles heel of this song (add that to the fact that the song itself is part of the Achilles heel of the entire album); it sounds bland and lacks any form of life or passion. This might have been Ckay’s intention since the lyrics supposedly came from a lover boy who’s tired of his emotions; and wants to indulge in lust, but it could’ve been way better.



Ckay’s "Emiliana" is one of the biggest songs released in Nigeria this year. It’s unassuming. A sweet love song about a fictional "Emiliana" and the beauty of falling for a love interest. It’s mind-blowing and whatever Ckay added to "Emiliana" when he was crafting it unfurls slowly like lazy juju.

"Lose you" ft Ronisia is designed to unwrap itself with each new listen, a worm snaking into your head. In this tune, Ckay makes his feeling known. He doesn’t want to lose the lady. With “Ronisia” vocal on the song, it added the emotions the song deserves.

The blissful thing about "Love Nwantiti" lies in its soulfulness. It is a one-in-a-kind romantic song that gives you that therapeutic feeling when you are listening to it. This is the type of writing that gets you lost in the music. A total abdication of free will to a vibration. Transcends you into a world of romanticism. The “ahn…ahn…ahn…ahn…ahn…ahn” part rewards multiple listens, fits into all your happy moments, and improves every space.

In “Sad Romance”, Ckay unveils a heady vulnerable man battling waves of relationship upheavals in a dysfunctional society. Amidst witty anecdotes, he addresses the themes of love and heartbreaks and also sings about lust.

Ultimately, the album thrives on relevant themes, cohesiveness and as well as top-level production. From a vocal, lyrics, flow and delivery perspective, there’ll be comparisons to Omah Lay’s. It’s a brilliant debut. But would any song on the album outshine “Love Nwantiti”? Will the album do well commercially, or is it a strategic album at penetrating the western world? Let’s know your thoughts.