The singer proves there’s more to her than shallow relationship songs

It goes without saying that people were afraid Queen Naija would become yet another R&B one-hit-wonder. Coming off the success of her viral hit single in 2018, “Medicine,” her fans were waiting for more from her, as they hoped she would capitalize on her rapid ascension to fame.

Yet as time went on, no project came to fruition. A loosie single or remix would be released every few months, just barely holding fans over, yet they worried about her status in the music industry. After more than two years, fans need not worry any longer.

With the release of misunderstood, Queen Naija has dropped off 18 new tracks, with featured artists including Lucky Daye, Kiana Lede, Lil Durk, Pretty Vee and many more. With an abundant number of features, there was a fear that many of the other artists would steal the spotlight from her on her debut project. However, it’s clear she held her ground.

Standout tracks include the follow-up to one of her loosie hits, “Butterflies Pt. 2,” the Lil Durk-assisted “Lie To Me,” as well as pre-release singles “Pack Lite” and “Love Language.” While she still has plenty of songs revolving around her standard, hopeful-yet-failing relationships, she dives into new content as well this time around, ranging from her rise to fame, those around her and much more.

In a positive change of pace, many of the R&B songs on this project are much more upbeat than some of her past work. While there is still a large amount of slower, smoother and more chill songs to look forward to, there’s a significant amount of variation throughout the album.

Some of her biggest critics were afraid her return from her time away would see her deliver much more of the same sound, but it’s satisfying to see the artist deliver a wide range to prevent the 18 songs from blending into one another.

Naija tends to stay away from any controversial or relevant subject matter in her lyrics on the album, despite everything that’s taken place throughout this year. While some may be taken aback for her not taking a stance on everything that’s been going on in the country and across the globe, it seems as if she simply wanted to focus on the music and allow people to escape from everything going on around us for once.

While it will most likely be quite some time before we’re blessed with another project, or even song, from Queen Naija, her fans have been given plenty of music to hold them over in the meantime. With the release of her debut, it’s clear that Naija is misunderstood no more.

Review: 4.5/5