RnBling succeeds comfortably, further cementing FAVE’s position among the artists leading the pack while keeping fans thoroughly engaged for whatever comes next
By Yinoluwa Olowofoyeku
Since emerging with the breakout success of “Baby Riddim” in 2021, FAVE has steadily established herself as one of the defining voices of her generation of Nigerian singer-songwriters. Blending Afropop, Dancehall and Contemporary R&B with an unmistakably rich vocal tone and emotionally direct songwriting, she has cultivated a catalogue built as much on melodic instinct as lyrical vulnerability.
Projects such as Riddim 5 (2022) and Dutty Love (2024) showcased an artiste increasingly comfortable navigating the emotional complexities of love, heartbreak and self-discovery, while high-profile collaborations with artistes including Davido, Simi and Olamide further demonstrated both her versatility and growing stature within the Nigerian music landscape. Throughout that rise, however, one quality has remained constant: an ability to make emotionally intimate songs feel immediately accessible without sacrificing the sincerity at their core.
That artistic progression continues on RnBling, FAVE’s third EP and perhaps her boldest stylistic pivot yet. Conceived as a play on “R&B” and “bling”, the title reflects her intention to merge the emotional softness traditionally associated with R&B with a brighter, louder and more energetic sonic palette.
In interviews surrounding the project, FAVE has described the songs as intentionally bolder than listeners might expect, drawing from Dancehall, Afro-Pop and African dance music while retaining the emotional vulnerability that has long defined her writing.
Thematically, RnBling traces the emotional arc of a relationship through longing, heartbreak, healing and eventual acceptance, presenting those experiences against vibrant, club-ready production rather than subdued melancholy. It also marks a subtle evolution in her approach to collaboration, with carefully selected appearances from Chike and Yemi Alade complementing, rather than overshadowing, a project that remains firmly centred on FAVE’s voice, perspective and growing artistic confidence
“Body Talk” immediately establishes RnBling’s dance-oriented identity. Gentle guitar lines, warm pad chords and a brief wailing string accent ease listeners into the track before an explosive burst of energetic Gqom percussion takes control. Crunchy clap and kick combinations, piercing whistle effects and rolling floor toms generate relentless momentum, while FAVE anchors the production with the rich, assured vocal performance that has become her trademark. She keeps the verses relatively restrained, allowing sparse harmony lines to accentuate her melodies before the chorus blossoms into an expansive wall of reverberant harmonies and densely layered vocals that naturally become the song’s centrepiece.
FAVE captures a relationship caught between intimacy and conflict, in the heartfelt plea, “Tell me what we are fighting for/ It’s you and I/ It’s you and I/ Can we say sorry and move on?”, before the song pivots back towards desire with the repeated invitation, “Show me a sign / Talk with your body, your body, your body / Give it to me, give it to me”. A dance-focused Gqom breakdown further shifts the spotlight towards rhythm, creating an effective contrast with the song’s sensual, melodically driven R&B influences.
Opening with sweeping string arrangements, “Miss You” wastes little time introducing one of RnBling’s most emotionally vulnerable moments. Bright piano chords settle comfortably above log drums as energetic syncopated percussion, restless shakers and agile kick patterns inject movement beneath the smooth instrumental.
Against this lively backdrop, FAVE delivers a bright yet emotionally exposed vocal performance, admitting that separation has done little to diminish her feelings, singing “I’m just trying to move on/ Trying to hold on/ Tryna live my life like I don’t miss you/ I admit that I miss you/ It’s hard enough I try to pretend”. Acclaimed Nigerian vocalist, Chike, whose emotive songwriting and frequent use of Pidgin English have become defining traits of his catalogue, slips effortlessly into the record, complementing FAVE with his warm mid-register delivery rather than overpowering her. Their voices intertwine gracefully throughout the duet, supported by carefully balanced harmonies that become the emotional anchor of the song before it concludes with a simulated phone voicemail.
“Dance” shifts the emotional weight aside in favour of one of RnBling’s most immediately infectious moments. Four-on-the-floor kick drums, crisp shakers and straightforward Afrobeats clap patterns establish an irresistibly steady groove as staccato electric piano chords and a bouncing melodic motif provide the song’s harmonic backbone.
A playful bassline keeps everything moving underneath FAVE’s lightly effected vocal performance, where her agile cadence and instinctive melodic choices once again take centre stage. Leaning fully into the song’s carefree romantic spirit, she dreams of escaping with a lover through playful declarations like, “Take me to Greece when you come back/ To Santorini baby/ I wanna leave where I come from and fly away to Paris/ With only you/ Only you/ You know just how I like to dance”, allowing the fantasy to unfold naturally within the song’s buoyant atmosphere. As the arrangement develops, bright electric guitar flourishes and fuller bass textures gradually widen the instrumental before a catchy hook, punctuated by sharp staccato brass riffs, reinforces the song’s irresistible dancefloor appeal.
Produced by 255, “Drown” retains RnBling’s danceable pulse while returning to the emotional vulnerability that sits at the heart of the EP. Four-on-the-floor kick drums once again drive the rhythm, though at a noticeably brisker tempo, as restrained staccato synth chords, thumping percussion and tightly arranged Afro-inspired rhythmic patterns create an understated but cinematic foundation. Sweeping strings, shimmering electronic arpeggios and subtle grand piano passages quietly colour the arrangement with hints of Afro-House, while vibrant rhythm guitars move beneath FAVE’s expressive vocal performance.
Coming to terms with the end of a relationship, she resolves to walk away while admitting that emotional detachment is proving far easier said than done, confessing, “I gotta put my ten toes down/ Don’t wanna work it out… Drown till I can’t feel ya/ But you’re in my head/ Don’t want you near but all I see is you”. Her emotive upper-register delivery, coupled with carefully layered harmonies, quietly amplifies that lingering heartbreak, drawing listeners further into the emotional weight of the performance.
“Paparazzi” embraces an entirely different sonic palette, drawing heavily from the Dancehall and Moombahton influences that shaped much of Nigerian Pop during the early 2010s. Straightforward rhythmic patterns, plastic guitar synths, playful synth plucks and faint background whistles instantly evoke that era, recalling the colourful instrumental style popularised by acts such as P-Square without feeling overly nostalgic.
FAVE proves remarkably adaptable, tailoring both her phrasing and melodic delivery to suit the throwback production while maintaining her own identity. Veteran Nigerian singer Yemi Alade proves an inspired collaborator, instinctively understanding the record’s throwback aesthetic and matching its playful energy with a performance that feels completely at home within the production. Rather than stealing the spotlight, she blends seamlessly into the intended style, elevating the collaboration through charisma and chemistry.
Closing RnBling, “La La La” strips things back to uncomplicated Pop craftsmanship. Shimmering keyboard melodies and a buzzing square-wave bass synth introduce the song before simple Dance Pop drums settle comfortably beneath warm chord pads, creating an intentionally uncomplicated foundation that allows FAVE’s voice to remain the undisputed focal point. She responds with a bright, straightforward vocal performance built around easy-to-follow melodies that quickly evolve into one of the EP’s most memorable hooks.
Embracing uncomplicated romance, she dreams of a carefree escape with a lover through the invitation, “How bout we get out of here/ And catch the next/ Airplane outta town love/ How bout we get out of our heads/ Marry forever/ And just make love”, before the earworm titular “La la la” refrain effortlessly settles into the song’s bright Pop charm. It is the shortest track on the project, but also one of the clearest demonstrations of FAVE’s understanding of melody, proving just how comfortably she can adapt her songwriting instincts to straightforward Pop without sacrificing her identity.
Altogether, RnBling feels like an enjoyable little gift from FAVE to her listeners. Rather than abandoning the qualities that have already made her one of Nigeria’s most dependable R&B voices, she refreshes them by intentionally injecting greater dance energy into her sound. That concept is realised consistently across the EP, with the tracklist exploring a broad spectrum of dance styles while never losing sight of the themes of love, romance and relationships that have long defined her songwriting. Whether leaning into Gqom, Dancehall, Afrobeats, Afro-House or straightforward Dance Pop, RnBling always retains an unmistakable R&B core, allowing the stylistic experimentation to feel purposeful rather than scattered.
By this point in her career, FAVE is already an established artiste with a well-defined identity, and RnBling only reinforces that reputation. Her vocal performances remain consistently strong throughout the project, never feeling the need to chase technical spectacle through soaring falsettos or vocal acrobatics. Instead, she relies on the qualities that have always served her best: rich tone, agile melodies, clear phrasing and an instinctive ability to keep listeners engaged.
Thoughtfully placed harmonies and confident vocal cadences do much of the heavy lifting, while she knows precisely when a song requires greater emotional weight and responds accordingly. The featured artistes are equally well selected, each complementing the record rather than distracting from it. Chike’s warmth naturally enhances the tenderness of “Miss You”, while Yemi Alade is a particularly inspired choice on “Paparazzi”, fully embracing the song’s throwback Dancehall aesthetic and delivering exactly the performance it demands.
FAVE’s songwriting remains just as dependable. As one of her generation’s stronger songwriters, she transitions comfortably between the phrasing conventions of Contemporary R&B and the more rhythm-driven structures demanded by Dance music, demonstrating a keen understanding of where to leave space for instrumental passages and how to adapt both cadence and melodic delivery to suit each genre.
Despite those stylistic shifts, she consistently maintains a clear narrative focus within her lyrics, making the emotional throughline feel just as cohesive as the sonic one. The production deserves equal praise for facilitating that versatility. Borrowing comfortably from a range of stylistic conventions, from pounding Gqom percussion and Dancehall rhythms to polished Pop arrangements and Afro House textures, the production provides a straightforward but highly effective foundation upon which FAVE can comfortably explore each new direction. Fluid, dynamic and consistently well judged, it succeeds in establishing the intended atmosphere without ever overwhelming the performances themselves.
As a whole, RnBling is another accomplished release from an artiste who has reached the point where a certain level of quality has become expected. FAVE has established a standard that she rarely looks in danger of falling below, and that consistency now affords her the freedom to explore new creative impulses without sacrificing the commercial appeal that has become almost second nature to her music.
RnBling may not set the world ablaze or radically redefine her artistry, but it hardly needs to. Not every release has to be a trailblazer. Sometimes, a strong, enjoyable project that expands an artiste’s discography, explores fresh creative territory and leaves listeners eager to hear where they go next is more than enough. In that regard, RnBling succeeds comfortably, further cementing FAVE’s position among the artistes leading the pack while keeping fans thoroughly engaged for whatever comes next.
Lyricism – 1.5
Tracklisting – 1.6
Sound Engineering – 1.5
Vocalisation – 1.5
Listening Experience – 1.6
Rating – 7.7/10
Yinoluwa “Yinoluu” Olowofoyeku is a multi-disciplinary artist and creative who finds expression in various media. His music can be found across all platforms and he welcomes interaction on his social media @Yinoluu.