Review: Teni Apata’s music, personality evolution draws mixed feelings

Popular singer Teniola Apata, a.k.a Teni as a songwriter and an entertainer, has evolved in character and so has her music in the last year.

Her bubbly personality has been an integral part of her musical journey and her music moves in its direction.

The younger sister of Afrohouse queen, Niniola is an extremely talented and hardworking musician, who warmed her way into the hearts of fans with her amazing vocals and personality.

Teni released her debut single ‘Amen’ while signed to Shizzi’s Magic Fingers Records. She left the record label and signed with Dr Dolor Entertainment in 2017. She gained critical acclaim after releasing the single ‘Fargin’ in Sept. 2017.

Her growth has been phenomenal through the years and in 2019, the accolades continued as she was featured on YouTube Music’s Trending Artist on the Rise.

While we have continued to enjoy the unique tunes she has dropped, a pattern is creating itself.

Teni, as a person, has become more playful as is echoed in her videos and skits, somehow, like with all other forms of art, this has seeped into her music style.

The singer has become more comfortable in her humour and it has influenced her sound.

With songs like ‘Sugar Mummy’ and ‘Power Ranger’ featuring lyrics and videos that show Teni in some of her most comedic forms, it is a noticeable contrast from the intuitive sound like ‘Uyo Meyo’ and ‘Fargin’ she entertained us with in 2018.

Her latest track ‘Billionaire’ is the only song in 2019 that has come close to the success she burst into the scene with in 2018. Although less serious than her 2018 jams, ‘Billionaire’ has curated success for its catchy hook and the relatability of its laidback lyrics.

Still, Teni the lyrical goddess is missing somewhere but we have the entertainment which is not half as satisfying.

‘Billionaire’ is loved because it emphasises the general aspiration of becoming a billionaire as we all know many Nigerians are hustling to make money.

On the surface, it is a catchy tune but when compared to her previous works, it lacks the soulfulness Teni is usually identified with.

Some argue that as her personality has become more comedic, so has the content of her sound. Others feel that it is just a natural evolution with the trend of the industry at the moment.

‘Uyo Meyo’ arguably, still remains Teni’s best work till date. This is due to the content of the lyrics and its presentation as an acoustic autobiography.

The video, which is a mini documentary of Teni’s life and shows her journey from childhood to graduate and now, music star presented her in a deeper light loved by fans.

It became the anthem because it encourages fans that they can be what they want to be. We can see Teni’s charisma and her knack for making clever videos on social media. ‘Uyo Meyo’ has amassed over 3.3 million views on YouTube.

It is clear that Teni is one of the most talented people in the planet and at the pace her career is progressing, she is on the path for global domination.

While her charismatic and playful personality is a great addition, it will be nice to see balance. That way, she wins on both fronts on her race to conquer the music world.