EP Review: Rukmani Creates Honest, Relatable Music with Angel on the Run
The Nigerian singer trades mystery for openness.
“I’m a baddie but a good girl in my soul,” Rukmani sings in 2022’s “Human Blood.” Across her budding discography, there exists a fine line between what constitutes good and bad; yet, an overarching theme that appears is Rukmani’s acceptance of her choices and its consequences. On 2021’s “Satori,” a story of youthful exuberance and thrill-seeking, she sings, in an admittance of her fallibility, “And I know that I make mistakes/I acknowledge them today/And I let it go/It’s part of growth.”
Growth is fully evident in Rukmani’s debut project ‘Angel on the Run,’ a well-polished effort with which she strengthens her blend of R&B, Soul, Hip-Hop and Afropop. The seven-track EP is home to her clearest ruminations on love and life, as well as a headstrong belief in her duality to be both good and bad on her own terms. On the lead single, “Gateway Drug,” Rukmani pledges allegiance to the intoxicating effect of sex. For her, the act isn’t just an exchange of fluids; it is the strongest glue between her and her lover.
Born and raised in Port-Harcourt, Rukmani began her career making freestyles and song covers. Her penchant is music that wears its feelings on the sleeve, trading mystery for openness puts her strengths and weaknesses in the spotlight. “In my opinion, everything got a purpose/Would’ve written me off/Maybe cos I was rough in my teenage pages/Should’ve never done drugs/But when I see that shit today/I swear to God e no dey move me,” she sings on “Purpose,” a track about making peace with mistakes. Throughout ‘Angel on the Run,’ it’s Rukmani’s honest writing that is the greatest gift: it paints her as no angel or saint but a learning, evolving human.
Read the rest of the review on NATIVE.
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