
PAR REVIEW
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PAR review
Pan African Rockstar is filled with authentic and versatile music; enhanced by the richness of indigenous sounds and the boldness of youthful energy through unapologetic lyrics.
An Album Review of Lady Donli’s Pan African Rockstar Album
Pan African Rockstar exists as two interlinked concepts – (i) as an identity coined by Lady Donli and (ii) as the title of her latest album, which was released in September 2023. As an album, Pan African Rockstar is filled with authentic and versatile music; enhanced with the richness of indigenous sound and boldness of youthful energy through unapologetic lyrics.
Pan African Rockstar equally showcases a distinct and memorable persona, as Lady Donli presents herself as an artist inspired by varied musical influences from different parts of the African continent. Through this persona, she also demonstrates that a ‘rockstar,’ needs to be bold, audacious and unafraid to create on their own terms.
Key themes of Pan African Rockstar
An important theme of the Pan African Rockstar album is self-confidence and affirmation, as heard on ‘NUMBER 1 MOTHER*FUCKER,’ ‘Hello Lady,’ ‘My Ability,’ and ‘Pan African Rockstar.’
On the introductory song, Lady Donli asserts herself as ‘number 1,’ similarly to how Beyonce states on ‘Alien Superstar’ that she is “one of one” andsings, “don’t even waste your time trying to compete with me.”Although NUMBER 1 MOTHERF*CKER from PAR and Alien Superstar from Renaissance are distinctly different songs (with no overlapping musical influences), the self-affirmation and recognition of one’s distinctly unique; star quality, rings true on both records. The concept of being an ‘Alien Superstar,’ is particularly relevant to Lady Donli’s artistry because she does not create (and neither has she attempted to), create the type of music a traditional or more conventional artist would make. Despite the ‘alien,’ or unconventional nature of her music and personal style, she boldly affirms herself as an artist who is deserving of the number one spot (therefore embracing the role of a ‘Superstar’).
On the album artwork for Pan African Rockstar, Lady Donli turns her back on a cave, which shines brightly like a safe haven. Her fists are scrunched up and she adopts a boxer like pose, as if she is preparing for a fight. Through the album art, Donli is physically expressing the emotions and thoughts she conveyed on the last song of the project titled ‘Industreets.’ On ‘Industreets,’ she is vocal about how the Nigerian music industry does not accommodate her authenticity, as she’s been told “the way [she] sings, won’t sell.” Despite the frustrations which come with being an independent woman artist in Nigeria, Lady Donli has chosen to turn her back on the ‘safe haven,’ that is making commercially popular music. As she notes on ‘Pan African Rockstar’ (the song), this has not been an easy choice, but it is one she made herself. This is conveyed through the re-occuring lyrics “E no easy at all to be an African Rockstar/Pan African Rockstar.” She also sings, “Na me wey use my mouth talk say I wan be star. Na me wey use my mouth talk sey I go suffer and set the bar.” Through these lyrics, (as well as the imagery of preparing for a fight on the album cover and Donli turning her back on ‘protection’ or ‘shelter,’ in the cave), subtle displays and themes of resilience and perseverance are evident on the album.
Alongside the positive themes of self-affirmation, resilience and perseverance conveyed on the album, there is a stark honesty and vulnerability that Donli equally shows to her listeners, which is not always positive. On the song, ‘Plenty Plenty Things,’ she sings that she would like to know “what its like to be free” – a feeling that many young people understand and know well. We often feel trapped and unable to escape our circumstances, whether they are by our own making or someone else’s. Through ‘Plenty, Plenty Things,’ Lady Donli shows that confidence and believing in yourself can (and often times does), exist alongside feeling like you are in a cage. She shows that underneath the Pan African Rockstar persona, she is a young girl who has seen and gone through a lot.
The placement of ‘Plenty Plenty Things,’ on the album is also very interesting. The song is right before an upbeat and joyful record titled ‘Comme ci Comme Ça,’ featuring the Lagos Panic. By following the vibrancy of ‘Comme ci Comme Ça,’ with the realism and discomfort on ‘Plenty Plenty Things,’ Lady Donli is further emphasising the idea of two contrasting feelings and emotions co-existing alongside each other in her work. The lyrics of ‘Comme ci Comme Ça’ also discuss the duality of life, where one minute things are ‘good’ then the next minute, things are bad. On the song, life is described as a “merry-go round, [which] goes on and on,” to further highlight that pain and joy are often intermingled throughout our lives.
The musical versatility on Pan African Rockstar
On Pan African Rockstar, Lady Donli weaves through different musical genres and influences, ranging from funk, jazz, rock and afrobeat, with precision and ease. Although there is an expansive range of sounds, each song flows into the next seamlessly. The album is structured with careful thought, and the transitions are smooth. For instance, at the end of ‘Fantasy,’ featuring Kah-Lo, Lady Donli’s speaking voice prepares her audience for what’s to come. At the snap of a finger, the listener is transported to the next song, which is titled ‘Nothing2Something’ featuring Obongjayer. The snap right before ‘Nothing2Something,’ starts playing, is an example of the precision and attention to detail on this album. The ‘snap,’ creates the subtle image of turning ‘Nothing’ – or a seemingly small thing – into a grand moment.
An exciting aspect of Pan African Rockstar is the rock music influence, which can be heard (to varying degrees) on certain songs. Rock elements can be heard on the beginning of ‘Fantasy,’ and also on the track called, ‘The Bad Ones.’ This is a genre, which Lady Donli did not explore on her previous projects. Donli’s debut album, Enjoy Your Life (2019), relied heavily on Afrobeat and Highlife influences, whereas her much earlier EP Letters to Her (2017), had an alternative r&b focus. By aligning the sound of PAR more closely with the type of music synonymous with her ‘Pan African Rockstar,’ identity, Lady Donli further cements her position, as a ‘rockstar.’
The way she blends rock and funk influences with contemporary and indigenous forms of African music is one of my favourite things about the project. For instance, on Comme ci Comme Ça, Lady Donli sings an interpolation of Davido’s “like dis, like dat,” from his hit song, ‘Skelewu.’ This is sang over funk instrumentals delivered by the Lagos Panic, and there are also rock inspired guitar strings which can be heard towards the end of the record. The blending of musical worlds to create an eclectic sound that feels distinct, is what makes Comme ci Comme Ça so incredible.
On ‘The Bad Ones,’ Lady Donli begins the song with adlibs similarly heard on trap music, and these adlibs are repeated throughout the song. On this record, Donli blends rock and trap in a seamless way, which does not feel musically jarring but cohesive and ingenious. Inspiration from Congolese rumba can also be heard on the song featuring Pierre Kwenders, titled ‘SAID,’ and this is then followed by a unique blend of electronic funk which is heard on ‘Jazz up.’
Music does not exist in a political vacuum
Through the music on Pan African Rockstar, Lady Donli illustrates that the political events in her community influence and impact her work. On Enjoy Your Life, Donli presented a Euphoric and dreamlike state, where she wanted her fanbase to feel good and enjoy the present moment. However, on Pan African Rockstar, she urges her fanbase to reflect on the past and remember important moments in Nigerian history, such as END SARS. On ‘Nothing2Something,’ she references a video, which went viral during the End Sars protests, as she sings that her president is a ‘naughty boy.’ This video was a comical moment in the midst of a very harrowing time for many young people in the country. On ‘Industreets,’ Lady Donli also sings “now I’m 26 in a place that kills your dreams, Mr President please do something about our currency.” This verse is extremely relevant, in light of the deteriorating value of the Naira. By including these socio-political references in her music, Lady Donli shows that her music does not exist in a political vacuum.
On ‘Nothing2Something,’ Donli also goes on to sing that the president does not “want the youth to flex their muscles,” – one of my favourite lines on the entire album. Through this line, Lady Donli uses pidgin language to colloquially express that Nigerian youth are currently stifled and not listened to. Despite the frustrations from being ignored and made to feel helpless, Donli’s self-confidence and self-affirmation still shines through, as her and Obongjayer assert themselves as young people who make great achievements, capable of turning “Nothing into something.” Nothing2Something is a special record, not solely because it sounds great but also because it has a very important message behind it.
A re-introduction to Lady Donli
In comparison to Lady Donli’s previous work, this is the most confident, self-assured and unapologetic she has sounded so far. On Pan African Rockstar, Donli re-introduces herself to her listeners, by sharing a different facet of her musical soundscape, which incorporates and mixes rock with her dominant influences of jazz, funk, afrobeat and early 2000s Nigerian pop music. On her latest album, Donli shows that she not only understands, but is proud of what her music currently has to offer.