EP Review: Terri Takes Love as Companion on In Transit
On his sophomore EP, the Nigerian singer belts pop tunes.
When conversations about label owners and their protégés stir up, Wizkid and Terri are thrown in the mix—and often not for good reasons. A few weeks after signing to Wizkid’s Starboy Entertainment in February 2018, Terri featured on his boss’ hit single “Soco” alongside Ceeza Milli and Spotless. For Terri, that situation became a gift and curse: it raised his profile as one to watch but also placed an incredible amount of pressure on his shoulders as comparisons with his mentor started flying. Yes, every new-school afrobeats artiste gets the Wizkid treatment but in Terri’s case, it’s hard to escape the scrutiny when so close to the star power his boss possesses.
A major grouse aimed at the Wizkid-Terri connection is that Wizkid hasn’t done enough to champion Terri’s music, in comparison to the support other label owners like Don Jazzy, Davido and Olamide throw the way of their signees. Although Terri appeared on Wizkid’s 2020 album Made In Lagos, that co-sign has been scarce from a man who has admitted he doesn’t even like promoting his music. But the younger singer born Terry Daniel Akewe has kept his head up and focused on releasing music. His latest offering is a six-track EP In Transit.
Interestingly, unlike his 2020 debut EP Afro Series, In Transit isn’t credited to Starboy Entertainment; it is credited to Terri and the music distribution platform ONErpm. This has caused suspicion that Terri might have left Wizkid’s record label. Pulse Nigeria investigated the matter and reached a conclusion that “…Even if Terri has left Starboy, he owes a lot of loyalty and an eternal debt of gratitude to Wizkid. Thus, it’s unlikely that he will ever come out to say that he left the label. They [sources] also note that he has too much to gain from Wizkid by being within his camp, than being outside of it.”
In Transit begins with “Danger,” which was released as the lead single. The tune is an afro-pop delight that reminds listeners of the immense talent Terri holds. He croons sweet words to a love interest as he glides over Krizbeatz’s pristine saxophone-sweetened production. He also doesn’t miss a step with the up-tempo love tune “Holy Water.”
“Girl na you go free me/ Coz I’m locked up,” Terri sings on “Wanna Know.” He continues to shower praises on his lover, informing her of the butterflies she stirs in his stomach. On “For Here,” which fuses afro-pop with slight elements of amapiano, Terri has no shortage of adulation for his lover. He highlights the depth of his affection when he sings, “When we finish for Earth/We go enter Jupiter.”
At this point, it is clear In Transit is strictly a project about love-roused feelings. He invites Ghanaian artiste Mugeez (one-half of R2Bees) to celebrate romance on the mid-tempo “Chargie.” The two merge their energies effortlessly. On “No lie,” Terri proclaims that the affection he shares with his lover “deep pass ocean.” He wants his woman to himself, he sings, because he has found a good thing and needs no other person.
“I’m trying to give myself without having to lose myself. But first I have to find myself,” Terri says in the promo video for In Transit. “…finding peace with myself one step at a time has brought me even closer to reaching unbreakable!” Theme wise, Terri doesn’t reveal much about himself on the project, except that he loves love. But it is a reminder that he is a good singer who’s heading—hopefully—to be a great artiste.
Go HERE to stream In Transit.
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