A Tale of Love, Lust and Pain: A Review of ‘Winny.’

Written by: Nana Kojo Mula.

The phenomenon of female acts in the Nigerian music space receives another facelift with the introduction of Winny. Described by many as an R&B/Soul artiste, she has proven that there is more to her than what she has been described as. The singer embodies a mix of Reggae, R&B/Soul and Afro sounds. Coupled with her unique vocal texture, tone and delivery she exhibits she deserves not just an ear to listen to her, but the support that would propel her to the top and raise the flag of Nigeria and African music high.

As someone who has always said music carries substance and communicates the thoughts and feelings of people, Winny’s music is another example of that claim. After the release of her singles ‘Pretty’ and ‘Don’t Leave,’ the singer returns with a self-titled 7-track E.P. With productions by Damie, Jonn P, WodeMagic, and Waji, this project is dominated by reggae and Dancehall-esque sounds which cover a wide range of topics from love, heartbreak, compassion and life.

The Ep kicks off on a healing note with the song ‘Operation.’ Winny goes on a self-healing journey after she suffers heartbreak and pain. To be able to love and be loved means one can lock out all the pain they have suffered from previous experiences to allow themselves to love again but that does not seem to be an easy feat for Winny. “Me ah never know if this wound e go ever wan close” is an indication of how deep the pain her previous lover left her with. The pain she feels has consumed her so much, she doubts if she will ever love again. She does, however, still have hopes of loving again thus they need to undergo this healing operation. “Loving you don’t need to be a task ohh oh. Easily I wanna trust the one I love. Open up the closet of your heart ohh oh. Maybe then I fit to forget all your past.”

While she heals, she implores her new love interest to have some patience and wait for her on the next song ‘Don’t Leave Me.’ It is very brave of her to fight to get better to love another despite the scars from her previous relationship. It may come off as selfish to plead with someone to not leave your side as your heal, it also strikes as a sign of true love and vulnerability. In an era where no one wants to be seen as soft, this is a woman singing out her heart and emotions that this person should not leave her side. “Boy I love you, why am I chasing you? Whulla people say, e no faze me. (Please don’t leave me here).” Aside from him staying, she goes on to list some things she would want him to do for her. Now that is a woman that is very clear and straightforward about what she wants from her man. Hold me all over. Feeling me, touching on me Call me your lover Cuff you up. Make you call me Olopa. Cyant get enough of you. Show me boy, how do you love (ou ou).See me wanna know how do you love”

She takes her time to reintroduce herself to the song ‘Pretty.’ The funk-feel song is Winny’s way of telling people about herself and her ambitions. I’m pretty in my own way. And I like to dey sing what’s on my mind. I love broke inna rich way. Stay humble, to make my money with pride. I sing with every life in me. Apart from describing her personality, she talks about the need for individuality. The song communicates that no one can love you like yourself. Self Love is as important as the love we give to others. As the bible says, love your neighbour as thy self. “Me and myself in a one-man gang. I’m good even if I’m lonely. That’s why God made me only,”

After being hurt, and begging for someone to stay in her life, she gets her moment of self-reflection on ‘Burn.’ In the trap/reggae mix song, she talks about choosing you and your love first. Baby, burn, burn your love for him. Burn it up until the light goes dim. It is an anthem for people that are going through moments of pain where they are not getting the love they deserve. Winny is invoking energy in you to leave when the relationship is not giving as the Gen Zers will put it. After a moment of self-love, it is important to burn away anything that continues to hurt and drain you.

Damie returns on ‘Ghetto Feels’ as a confident Winny brags about the security she finds in her circle of friends. “Cyaan be no imposter/Weh mi from everyone is a soldier/One champion, different ah holders/Real gees gat my back all over,” she sings. Winny understands that the energies of the people she surrounds herself with play a huge role in her life and is proud of the company she keeps. Underneath the staccato drums of ‘Ghetto Feels,’ Damie inserts a guitar chord that colors the song right until the end. You can never talk about love without lust. They will always go hand in hand. On ‘Kiss Me’We follow Winny’s relationship journey through the various stages to the point of romance. In this record, She creates a beautiful image of intimacy and lovemaking. “You put your hands all over me. Me love the way you put your hands all over me. O boy. Me no fit follow nobody (nobody). You gat everything and more. When you call me, I can’t ignore. That’s why.” As the saying goes, “person wey sabi love, sabi correct knacks.” Winny is vocal about intimacy as she was about the pain she faced and self-love. In her opinion, if you love her, it will show in how you make love to her, in how you kiss her from her head, and from her knees to her toes.

She pulls a reverse Uno card on the last song of the E.P ‘Boji.’ In the opening of the project, she talked about how she needed to heal in ‘Operation’ after putting herself in a position to be hurt. In ‘Boji,’ she names and shames the person who caused her pain. Despite causing her pain, Boji refuses to take responsibility for his actions. “Man ah faker, Man ah faker mmmm. You ah cause my heart ache ah. You don’t wanna take the blame ah” But Winny will not allow him to get away with it so she calls him out in the song. “Boji Boji you do me. Why you do me”. ‘Boji’ also touches on how gaslighting is a very dangerous thing. People will always find way to spin the story and make you feel you are in the wrong when they are the ones who should take the blame. “You don’t wanna take the blame ah. Table turn-ah inna di situation o. Say na me cause am o. Putting the blame on me”

Despite some cunning similarities in sound to some artists like Rihanna on some of the songs, Winny holds her own throughout the project with her unique cutting-edge delivery and flow. She displays her sonic range while leaving us with bits of her personality. The project is a depiction of Winny’s experiences across various relationships. She highlights the multiple emotions associated with the different forms of relationships. From the pain and healing in ‘Burn,’ ‘Operation’ and ‘Boji’ to friendships in ‘Ghetto Feels,’ intimacy in ‘Kiss Me’ and self-love on ‘Pretty.’ If Chronixx and Rihanna had a child, that Child would be Winny. She displays great chemistry with each of the producers on the project. Her ability to blend different genres all into one is something that should be applauded.

You can stream ‘Winny Ep’ on all digital streaming platforms now.