UK-based Nigerian producer Lekaa Beats teams up with Port Harcourt singer Omah Lay and rising Afrobeats star Fola for a sleek new record titled “Pretty Messed Up.” Lekaa and Omah Lay already had chemistry after their previous “Angels” collaboration, so this reunion felt like a matter of when rather than if.
Omah Lay has been on a busy run this year with his second album “Clarity of Mind” and this feature fits neatly into a time where he’s been saying yes to the correct collaborations. Fola has been steadily growing her own fans, and sharing a tune with Omah Lay at this juncture in her career is the kind of placement that pushes the needle.
Lekaa’s production has the same sense of atmosphere as “Angels” but instead utilizes warm chords, subdued percussion and a mid-tempo groove that doesn’t get in the way of the vocals. The mix breathes, providing both featured performers enough of room to operate without the beat interfering with either performance.
Omah Lay brings his trademark emotional rawness, the kind of confessional singing that has helped singles like “Soso” and “Bad Influence” resonate with people long after first listen. He rides the vulnerability of the title rather than deflects from it, and that honesty gives the song its emotional anchor.
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