World pop styles are always in conversation, and this latest single from Mr Eazi and Simi, “Doyin,” makes the gap between Nigerian Afrobeats and American r&b feel slim to nonexistent. The title may be Yoruba slang for a sweet girl, but forget about getting lost in translation—you know what's going on here:
Simi nimbly handles those high, hooking melismas, which American pop reserves for only its most capable divas—her peers, really.
Eazi and Simi are back together, following up on “Surrender,” their collaboration which came out on Eazi's 2018 Lagos to London album. Since that release, Eazi has made songs with reggaeton royalty, J Balvin and Bad Bunny, launched phase two of his emPawa initiative, giving $3,000 grants to 100 African artists so they can make music videos, and established himself in the upper echelons as one of most-streamed artists on the continent. He's moved from Lagos to London, and in a conversation with Afropop admitted that he's not sure where he's headed next, but as “Doyin” indicates, Lagos never left him.
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