MUSIC REVIEW: Angelique Kidjo & Davido ‘Joy’ is an impactful, Grammy-worthy track

Grammy-award winner, 2023 Polar award recipient, artiste, and activist Angelique Kidjo’s new single, “JOY,” featuring Davido, is a jam and a half.

Kidjo and Davido met in New York to work on the song JOY.

The single is Kidjo’s second collaboration this year—the first being Diane Warren’s “Sunlight To My Soul.”

The rhythm appraises a family-friendly tone, conveying a need to come together cheerfully, fostering a sense of community and connection.

The brilliant use of the Yoruba language, a widely spoken language in Nigeria, adds a cultural depth to the song, exploring the themes of resilience, optimism, and happiness.

Kidjo has a career spanning over four decades. Over time, she has pulled through adversities and had down times, but she’s held on and pushed on through it all to be where she is today. Davido, on the other hand, maybe reckoned with as a rich kid, but if we juggle back our memories, he and his wife, Chioma, lost their son, Ifeanyi, in November 2022.

This song subtly conveys an undertone of lots of emotions and expressly gives reasons for gratitude.

REVIEW

Verse 1

The song starts with a soft humming of “Ooh do do do” and metamorphoses into whole fleshed humming. This stirs beautifully to the 16th second, where Kidjo starts the song with the lines, “I found the joy through all the pain, through all the pain, through all the pain. I found the sun, through all the rain, through all the rain, I found the power, a brand new day, a brand new day”. This bolsters the theme of resilience. It tells why you shouldn’t cave in and the rewards that align with fighting through the rain and the pain, inspiring a sense of empowerment and resilience.

Davido intercepts with, “And I’m awakened, who I could be through the thick and thin. I’m singing my song and finding my way again.” Here, Davido tells us about the endless possibilities that abound for him simply because he has awakened from the things that happened to him that weighed him down.

After losing his son, Ifeanyi, you would expect that the word “drown” would trigger him, but Davido deliberately uses the word “I won’t drown in the sea; I am wading in” to emphasise his determination to push through the season of life—the determination to not drown no matter the waters life may flush at him.

Kidjo comes back singing, “I count my blessings, arise from the deep, let the joy within. I know it’s been hard, but I find my way again; we’d never end where we begin.” This theme tells of gratitude while acknowledging that fighting the storm or wading the sea is not an easy task, but we should keep pushing because we are heading to a better place—a place better than where we began.

Then comes Davido: “I found my hope when it was lost; when it was lost, I helped my heart out of the dark. This immediately reminds us of a story in the Bible about King David, who had gone to battle with his men and conquered the enemy, but little did he know they had paid siege in his home, captured and took his people and their wives. His soldiers who had seen him bring them victory lost faith in him, and scripture says, “and David encouraged himself in the Lord”. When we drown, we need to realise that not everyone knows how to swim, not everyone wants to help. Not everyone learns how to help; like David and Davido, you can find your hope when all hope is lost; you can help your heart out in the dark; look within.

Then comes a brief chorus: “I found the power, a brand new day, a brand new day.” This exudes the tone of victory—the champion sound.

Cover Art of JOY featuring Davido Photo courtesy Angelique Kidjo

Verse 2

“There is a love, I only know, I only know. I found the strength to let hurt go, to let hurt go. I found the power, as you can see. Dem no believe, then you came forward”.

Here, Davido shares with us the love he found within. The kind that only he can reckon with. The love that helped him with the strength to let go of the pain and the hurt. He further acknowledges that people didn’t believe he’d get better so soon, but he did anyways, and here he is, stretching an invitation to a lavish life: “Come dey with me, living lavishly.”

Then comes the simple humming chorus, “Oh do do do.” This makes it easy to vibe to the song from the first listen. You don’t need to know the song word for word, but you will hum, as this was the sound that started the song.

“Ife ni aye oh

Ayessi ni Ife rere okan oh

Ife ni aye oh

Irora kan kole fara kpa mi oh

Oohhh do do do

Ewadjade

Oohhh do do do

Omo eniyan ewa

Ayessi, ayessi

Ayessi ni Ife ire okan mi oh

The above implies that life has good intentions at heart. Love is life, and no amount of pain can overwhelm me. The manner through which this is delivered appraises a typical Yoruba evening setting when folklore and stories of life and history are shared. This setting, often accompanied by music and dance, adds a communal and celebratory aspect to th 3x e song.

Conclusion

Kidjo’s intentionality in this track makes it rich yet simple for easy consumption. Engaging the Yoruba language seems more like an effort to break into the mainstream Nigerian music industry. Featuring Davido as someone who’s had his fair share of life’s blows was a smart move.

The lyrics, message, rhythm, and music perfectly blend. This song can be a beacon of hope and encouragement to people worldwide, especially Africans (Nigerians in particular), who are in a season of trials. Above all, Angelique Kidjo & Davido ‘Joy’ is an impactful, Grammy-worthy track, leaving the audience feeling uplifted and optimistic.

I rate the song 8.5/10