Moonflower is a pleasant surprise from start to finish. MiDi Kwakwa’s discography is not very deep yet but she demonstrates an evident mastery of her niche.
By Yinoluwa Olowofoyeku
Raised by her Ghanaian mother in a small town in West Germany, MiDi KwaKwa (real name Mildred Schmidbauer) grew up immersed in two contrasting cultures. Her formative years were spent around very few people who looked like her. So, at about 12 years old when she was introduced to the soulful sounds of artistes like Nina Simone and Aretha Franklin, she was inspired to pursue her innate interest in singing.
Her journey as a performer and recording artiste began under the mentorship of a high school teacher who helped her and her cousins record a CD in their school music room. As she grew, she dove deeper into the world of soul music and connected deeply with the freshness and newness in the soul being created by the likes of Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, India Arie, and her compatriot, Efya.
Her path began to take shape in 2017 as she took to Neo-Soul as a form of self-expression, sharing thoughts and feelings about all aspects of her life. In 2019, she was named one of Red Bull Music’s 17 Best Newcomers.
By 2021, she had headlined a sold-out show in The Netherlands, cementing her on a rising trajectory. A slew of singles and collaborations would follow, ultimately setting her up to release her debut EP, Moonflower.
Moonflower begins with the powerfully funky bassline and synth chords of “DiH”. We also get fittingly bouncy and straightforward drums over which MiDi KwaKwa calls it quits on a lover and their relationship, stating brazenly “This love will dissolve/ You are shallow, guess we’ve broken up/ Tried to pick the pieces it won’t work/ This love should die”.
MiDi KwaKwa delivers her cutting lyrics with surprising softness and a disguising melodic grace. Her smooth wispy voice contrasts nicely against the bass-heavy instrumentation as we revel in the quintessential R&B vibes she taps into on the song’s bridge.
This contrast is used wisely again on “Holding Up” as MiDi’s harmonies wisp in and out of her smooth vocal deliveries that are delicately stacked atop a hip-swaying groove set by summery strummed guitars, a driving bassline, and freeform R&B drums arrangements.
Here, MiDi KwaKwa assumes an introspective stance, taking inventory of her emotions and checking up on her inner child as she holds herself up emotionally. A shimmery electric guitar solo livens up the gentle emotional reverie of the song as it outros.
“Heartbreak” is the shortest song on Moonflower, serving as an interlude at the midpoint of the EP. Propped up by vibrato electric pianos, string pads, and subdued drums, MiDi KwaKwa extols about a heartbreak. She keeps the lyrics simple but the vocal delivery is ripe with emotion that is emphasised by the heartfelt piano accompaniment and swelling pads. Understated percussion and dreamy harmonies round out the song’s expressive sonic palette.
“Desire” sees MiDi KwaKwa admitting her intentions to a lover and admonishing them for perceived dishonesty. “I never really knew you / But I thought our love was real”. MiDi KwaKwa’s unique brand of songwriting becomes very obvious in this song; it has an amorphous quality, not quite sticking to predictable melodic patterns or rhyme schemes.
It stands out here because it doesn’t work as well as it does on the previous songs. A few of the moments feel slightly clumsy and a bit jarring. However, she masks some of the awkwardness with the silk of her voice and the masterful layering of her harmonies.
“Let Me Be Your Vice” injects Moonflower with a dark and dangerous energy. Heavily distorted rock guitar riffs meet deep consistent chugs and a threadbare pounding drumline for this sensual sultry ride.
“We don’t gotta use whips and chains/ You just finna have to scream my name”, MiDi KwaKwa instructs with a rocker’s squeal. The fact that she ditches her typical airy whispery vocal delivery for a grittier grungy tone, demonstrates an impressive amount of adaptability. The power embedded in the song is contagious and compelling.
Moonflower ends with “Rosalina”, previously released as a single in 2024. This track seamlessly blends MiDi KwaKwa’s soft soulful tendencies with an irresistible Amapiano bounce. She takes advantage of quieter passages to deliver the emotional crux of the song, singing “Close your eyes, What’d you see?/ All your headaches came from me”.
And just as the listener gets sucked in, the thumping log drums and rattling drums slam down with noticeable impact. Featured acts, Yung D3mz and Uche B flesh out the track with noteworthy contributions, both instrumental and vocal.
Moonflower is a pleasant surprise from start to finish. MiDi Kwakwa’s discography is not very deep yet but she demonstrates an evident mastery of her niche. Her work is steeped in soulful, emotive, expressive R&B energy. Her superpower appears to be her ability to infuse mountains of legible and discernible feeling into her vocal delivery.
Technically, her singing is solid and strong. Even with her slightly breathy, slightly nasal singing style, she remains extremely audible and maintains control through her notes. Yet, somewhere in the lightness of her voice, she distils a universal emotional understanding of what she is trying to convey.
Her songwriting is ear-catching to say the least. She has a unique way of putting songs together, almost akin to spoken word or something improvisational. The lines aren’t always even, the rhymes don’t always fall where you might expect, and the words sometimes feel a bit unusual, but that rarely detracts from the message coming across.
If anything, it helps with relatability and communicates a degree of rawness and facsimile. With a bit more experience, this signature style could be polished into a potent storytelling weapon.
This ethos continues to the production of Moonflower. Each instrumental is crafted as an emotional backdrop for the story being told by each song. Strong bass frequencies allow her voice a lot of room to shine. The drums barely call attention to themselves, simply setting the pace for MiDi KwaKwa like a runner’s timekeeper.
Every technical decision seems geared towards supporting the star of the show: MiDi Kwakwa’s vocal performance. This allows the whole EP to feel cohesive in direction and execution, cementing Moonflower as one of the more focused EPs to come out thus far this year.
Lyricism – 1.3
Tracklisting – 1.4
Sound Engineering – 1.6
Vocalisation – 1.5
Listening Experience – 1.4
Rating – 7.2/10
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.