Damages for Standing By You
Two songs, two different themes, one a rebel, the other, a loyalist. One, be making promises and the other telling her lover to f**k off. This is what comes to mind when you listen to Simi ft Adekunle Gold “By you” and Tems’ “Damages”.
According to Simi’s Instagram page, she’s been with Adekunle Gold for over seven years now and they already have a baby together. So much for promising to stand by each other.
“By you” was released in 2019 as part of Simi’s ‘Omo Charlie Champagne’ album, featuring her heartthrob, Adekunle Gold. The classic started with an interesting string instrument, then Simi’s soothing voice. One of the lines says, ‘edumare lo so wa po…’ this further buttress the fact that love is divine and through it all, they’ve promised to stand by each other (They even introduced ‘Hallelujah’ into their verses). How sweet is it to find somebody that promises to stand by you for the rest of your days… Simi and Adekunle Gold have a history of making their fans live in oblivion over the years, as regards their love story. We all saw it as typical work relationship between the two, with couple of tracks between them, not until their private wedding ceremony.
The solemn melody of the track put one into the picture of love, with the loving lyrics perfectly delivered by the Kosokos. This track is an assurance of love shared between two lovers.
Temilade entered the scene as a rebel, with a different style of sound tagged as ‘Alte’, which has been practised by few Nigerian artists. Tems have an outspoken personality, complemented by a strong voice, like that of a man. This can be noticed on her ‘Damages’ song. She went further to show why she calls herself ‘Rebel Gang Leader’, after her release from custody, in Uganda. A video even surfaced online, where she was telling a lady she won’t eat the food offered to her, in the midst of her arrest for supposedly violating COVID-19 rule, in Uganda.
Her music showcases her freedom to express herself, and she seem to have been experimenting on different songs, though, nailing a genre already. ‘Damages’ is a perfect example of her “I don’t give a damn” attitude, where she seem to be telling her fictional lover to f**k off, after his on and off relationship with her. A line I love so much reads. ‘…don’t call my phone, you’re not a madman…’
‘Damages’ a fusion of dancehall and contemporary RnB, summarizes when you’re done putting up with your one-time lover, trying to get back with you and probably trying to blackmail you, emotionally. Are you trying to run away from a toxic relationship? I’ll strongly recommend ‘Damages’ to you.
The two songs have two deep meaning, with one giving assurance of always been there and soaking herself further in love with the guy, while the other is simply telling the guy, she can’t take it anymore from him. Why won’t you love Nigerian artistes for their creativity?
