When Fleet Foxes’ Robin Pecknold steps on to the Boston Harbor stage to introduce singer and songwriter Uwade, he pauses and shakes his head, lost for words at how to properly preface what is sure to be one of those performances that makes you see life a little different.
As the first studio album Florilegium, from Nigerian born, North Carolina-raised singer Uwade opens, her seraphic tones levitate over a warm harmony of her layered vocals. Uwade describes the album as an offering of flowers emblematic of her gratitude to those who have guided her through life. She shares it with the world, “as a reminder to cherish opportunities for renewal.” And regardless of the albums title one does feel as though they’ve been given a free day of introspection to run amongst that which blooms.
This album was built upon tectonic shifts in Uwade’s life. The first and oldest song, “A Place in the Sky,” written from the grief of losing her father in late 2020. The track itself is described as an open wound, it sneakily stings and heals while still leaving a listener feeling calm. A track sung by anyone else, might feel heavy on one’s ear but in Uwade’s hands feels only as a release. Grief, one of the most nuanced reactions in our emotional repertoire is, at its core, a proxy to love. Despite Florilegium being ushered in by the profound loss of her father, the beauty of it is the overwhelming love that pours out of her across the entire body of work towards those who have impacted her life.
“A Place in the Sky” is followed by one of the album’s poppier numbers, “Call It a Draw.” Despite the faster pace, Uwade’s vocals don’t rush or meander. They are always right where they need to be. She’s careful to not overwhelm the listener with unnecessary detail, giving only what is necessary to build a picture of her life and the people in it that create the foundational narrative of these songs.
The magical contradiction of her lyrics is a relaxed precision which can very obviously be seen in songs like “Clearer Through You,” “I Wonder What We’re Made Of,” and “Amenaghawon.” But Uwade is no stranger to perfect contradictions. She is not only an insurmountable talent but also a dedicated academic currently working towards a PhD at Columbia and Oxford. In an age where staying loyal to a niche to find viral success is a homogenous side effect of creative disillusionment, Uwade shows how important it is to continue honoring all parts of yourself.
And honor her identity she does. On tracks “Harmattan” and “Amenaghawon” she sews together the tapestry of her Nigerian culture, invoking the instruments, language, and production of her nationality. During studio sessions with her percussionist, Jason Burger, he captured the essence of an Esan dance masquerade called Egbabonelimhin that was performed during her father’s burial. On “Amenaghawon,” she expands on the meaning of the word, “the water you are meant to drink will not pass you,” a phrase that could not be more apropos of Uwade living in her purpose and endemic of her outlook to see all of life as opportunities to become anew.
Florilegium is an album about understanding yourself through others but never stopping to explore and redefine oneself when life does what it be doing. It is a genre bending road trip through varying cultures, people, and events and how they affect the tableau of one’s identity.
On that same stage in the Boston Harbor show, Uwade shares that her name means wealth is coming. But based on the offerings she is so charitably sharing with the world, it seems that the riches have always been with her.
Florilegium is out now.
Words by Ilana Rubin for Staged Haze
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