Tolü Makay is an Afro-Irish singer, born in Nigeria and raised in the midlands of Ireland.
Inspired by soulful artists across the globe such as Erykah Badu, Nina Simone, Amy Winehouse, Asa, and Labrinth, Tolü has spent the last few years crafting her own sound and is now putting the finishing touches on her debut EP, ‘BEING’, due for release October 2020 via the Berlin-based label, Welcome to the New World.
Today, Tolü shares a soulful new single’Don’t Let Go’, which will feature on the seven track EP. Tolü takes us into her world in a vintage style music video, directed by Fiona-Louise Ntidendereza.
‘Don’t Let Go’ is a special song with incredible emotional depth, a song of empowerment that reflects on real trust in oneself. Flavoured with big brass sounds and gospel elements, it is a dramatic and complex track and yet it is a joyful ode to being ‘who you are or who you want to be’. Tolü says the song has served as a guide during difficult times and she hopes it helps others navigate their own path, transitioning emotionally from fear to hope.
“I’m pretty excited, and nervous, to share this first track from my debut EP, ‘BEING’. The project was born last year, at a transitional point in my life when I was working a full-time night shift for a multinational corporation. I was deeply stressed, and unhappy, lost.
The inspiration for this song ‘Don’t Let Go’ came about last year, about a week before my live performance at Whelan’s Ones to Watch. Whilst juggling the night shift and trying to rehearse for the show, I felt like giving up music, giving up on myself. Instead, I decided to quit my job and explore my own path. This song really gave me the motivation to keep going, I just kept singing it to myself.
In October I’ll release my first EP, ‘BEING’, a deeply personal account of my journey through struggles with mental health and finding myself. The album goes through the phases of how I felt moving from the midlands to Dublin, being wrapped up in a job I wasn’t happy in, and gradually learning who I am. The themes through the tracks begin with an awakening, followed by doubt, hope, and empowerment.
This is the truest form of my expressing my art. I want people from different generations and walks of life to be able to understand and relate with these feelings. I’m looking forward to sharing this with you.”
Stream/buy Tolu’s new single ‘Don’t Let Go’ now: cdbaby.lnk.to/DontLetGo
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