New Music Friday can be a lot. That's why every week we cut it down to the songs you need to hear for PLAY, our new music edit, and deliver a new cover feature to go alongside it. This week... Ego Ella May.
For many artists, the pursuit of perfection can be crippling. The best artists, though, recognise that true perfection is impossible. The real magic comes from the journey and the process of creation - just finding your way and letting the creativity flow. It's a liberating process that British Nigerian singer-songwriter Ego Ella May has embraced on her brilliant second album, 'Good Intentions'.
The record is a vision, self-driven by Ego and her musical philosophies, as she ramps up her already immaculately mastered musical intuition, rooted in jazz, soul, and resonant lyrical storytelling. "I've gotten more into co-producing more and actually steering the ship," she says, describing some of the differences from her critically acclaimed 2020 album, 'Honey For Wounds'. "I didn't really feel confident. I was kind of doing it with my first album, but I wasn't confident enough to really own it and expand. I think with this album, that's something that I definitely wanted to do more. It's been really exciting, and it's just kept things fresh. It means that I have pushed myself in that avenue, and I'm really proud of what's come of it."
That freshness can be found in a collection of songs full of insidious grooves that burn themselves into you, imploring you to either dance, reflect, cry - but most importantly, feel something. Feeling and connection are the purer emotions. You can hear it on tracks like the lead single 'What You Waiting For', where Ego is instinctive and reactive, embracing the moment and making her presence felt.
