Shona – End the Cycle (Single Review)

In today’s review we will introduce you to a new artist that you may think is a newcomer in the industry, but actually isn’t. Boma Beddie-Memberr, professionally known as Shona, has been involved in music right from the inception in her youth in the late 90s through church fellowships. From that standpoint, she became fascinated with music- particularly the drums. She is a drummer, rapper and songwriter whose artistry intends to go beyond music. Though having a deep passion for music, she still maintains a day job, and has acquired a B.Tech in Information Technology and an MSc in Spatial Planning with Specialisation in Urban Design.

In terms of music, she has a flair for Afrobeat/House and Reggae-infused Hip-hop. A recent graduate of the Worship Artistry Diploma at Bethel Music College in Redding, California, Shona brings a heart of worship to every beat. Her drumming acts as an act of faith that connects audiences to the divine, drawing inspiration from legendary drummers like Tony Royster Jr., Calvin Rodgers, and Carlin Muccular. She also finds community in platforms like DrumQueen and Africa’s Drummers Newtork. She intends to redefine what it means to maintain a balance between career and one’s calling in music. As a woman in a traditionally male-dominated field, she continues to inspire the the next generation of female musicians to boldly pursue their dreams.

And in a culmination of all of the infomation above, it has bloomed into her newest single, titled ‘End the Cycle’. It is an Afrobeats/Afrofusion single speaking about women’s rights and systematic policies that affect women in the professional space in any context, from politics to the corporate world. These industries tend to be male-dominated and may have missed the mark to update policies that support genre equity, leading to the grievances expressed within the track.

The track starts off with a typical Afrobeats intro, with a spaced-out chord progression accented with deep drums. The song has an interesting structure, somewhat starting with an energizing and engaging sequence through the vocals, softened by the airy vocals. The best part of this song is frankly the log drum. It is sharp, deep, engaging and has a very interesting timbre.

However, by the time it goes to the sequence where the titular lyrics ‘End the Cycle’ emerges, the mastering does not necessarily match with the instrumentation. I wish that was addressed a bit, with slight dissonance presented by the call-and-response sequence in the vocals. Dissonance isn’t always a bad thing in compositions, but when the chords within the track present itself with a certain tone, it can clash without a ‘connective’ motive or chord or even note.

The delivery of the verses isn’t too bad, it delivers the message to the point through an Afrobeats-esque rapping style. What sticks out the most to me is the lyricism, and is possibly the most important part of the song superseding all other musical motifs in the intent of the track. It is very realistic in a woman’s experiences being shattered and having to pick the pieces up within imaginary glass ceilings that honestly shouldn’t exist, and then goes into a sequence of words that can definitely inspire someone to go beyond the discrimination that their gender faces, and fight back in glory.

I do wonder about the critical response to this track to an Afrobeats audience. The last time a woman-centric track was released if I recall it was Woman by Tekno, with a song that had a beautiful message uplifting women and musically, flowed really well with Igbo-esque melodic proclivities. However, that was around 2017/8. Sans the log drum, I do think this track needs a ‘compositional’ upgrade within the sphere of Afrobeats, with a little bit of modernisation. The chords used are very predictable at this point and the beat is also really overused within the genre. To stick out, one must have an impeccable unique ability to deliver their verses, or be compositionally unique. Unfortunately, as much as I think the lyricism and message of the song is quite powerful and necessary, its musical components do average out to be average. I will say this though, the segment of the log drum is extremely unique and does add a bit of variation in the midst of the track.

SCORE / Good – ‘End the Cycle’ is a track that brings the power of perspective and female equality to a soundscape that’s typical of Afrobeats. It’s a calm track with a captivating log drum sequence in the midst of this, with Shona’s wonderfully thoughtful lyrics about the struggle and the motivation within the cause. It is definitely an introspective track.

[We rank singles, EPs, and albums on a scale of Poor, Mediocre, Good, Excellent, and Outstanding]

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