Where to begin? Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu, better known by his household name Burna Boy, needs no introduction. The African Giant is known locally and globally for his many standout artistic works and collaborations.

Alone is not only an exceptional song, it is first and foremost a soundtrack from and for the movie Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

Burna Boy began his career in music professionally in 2010 after being signed to Aristokrat Records. With his unique blend of reggae, pop, dancehall and afrobeat, the hit artiste gained prominence in 2012 after the release of the hit single Like to party, which was the first single from his debut album L.I.F.E released in 2013.

From then on, it has been back-to-back successes for the artiste of the day, from having international hits like Last Last, For My Hand, It’s Plenty, Common Person, Yaba Buluku, Anybody, Kilometre, Soke and Way Too Big to multiple global star features with the likes of Ed Sheeran, Jorja Smith, Stormzy, Major Lazer, Zingah and Maphorisa, Rita Ora and a host of others too numerous to mention.

Alone has so far been one of the standout tracks off the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever album, which featured several top tier artists, the likes of Rihanna, Tems, Ckay, Fireboy DML and Rema.

Alone is a slow-tempo song, RnB almost. It has a low piano playing in the background as Burna Boy vocalises on the instrumentals, the tempo picks up at the chorus but still remains slow and steady as the song progresses up until the very end.

Lyricism on this hit track is remarkable. The artiste explores through his words how humans subject feelings to our experiences and how these experiences sculpt how we think, our minds, actions and body. He uses the lyrics in Alone to tell listeners how he is trying to take back control of his body and life as a whole.

Burna Boy’s lyrics on this track are deep. He explores several issues that affect the human mind, one of which is loneliness. He tells listeners how he feels alone in the midst of thousands of people.

One of the lyrics that stands out the most explains how the artiste feels like his body is on fire and life seems to be distraught. The lyrics goes thus…

My body don dey tire, eh

E make me madder, eh

My head don scatter, eh

My holy father, eh

My body don dey tire, eh

E make me madder, eh

When my whole world is set on fire

Don’t leave me alone

 Asides being a song listeners can relate to, one of the things that makes this track really pop is its mixing and production. Shout out to the producers Ryan Coogler, Ludwig Göransson, Archie Davis and Dave Jordan for creating a fine blend of the strings, drums, piano and the artiste’s dexterous voice. Alone is the true definition of a perfect blend.

Alone is not your everyday average afrobeat song. It has a slow RnB vibe to it and lyrics that tell a captivating tale. Add this hit to your playlist today.

Didi Dan-Asisah is an art enthusiast and critic. She lives in Lagos.

Ayodele Johnson

Ayodelé is a Lagos-based journalist and the Content and Editorial Coordinator at Meiza. All around the megacity, I am steering diverse lifestyle magazine audiences with ingenious hacks and insights that spur fast, informed decisions in their busy lives.