Queendalyne gets on bad
Last year Nigerian singer Queendalyne introduced Afro roots-reggae, a blend of her country’s indigenous sounds and Jamaican rhythms. On Bad Gyal, her latest song, she experiments with dancehall.
Bad Gyal is produced by Tuffgig Music Group, a New York-based Nigerian company that also produced Prayer, her Afro roots-reggae song.
Queendalyne is keen on making a mark in Jamaica with Bad Gyal.
“I love Jamaica! And I love their pattern of music, from their beats to their style of singing to their dance movements… it’s all love for me, you know. And I truly wish I would even have some beautiful collaborations with some of Jamaican artistes soon,” she said in an interview with the Jamaica Observer.
Queendalyne is from Igbos in south-eastern Nigeria. She began recording seven years ago, with her initial songs carrying a pop feel.
Tuffgig Music Group went for a sound closer to home with Prayer. For Bad Gyal, they stayed the hybrid course.
“Bad Gyal is quite different because of its dancehall genre and vibes. And if you listen carefully, you will observe a different spice to it. It has the Naija Afrobeat and some kind of reggae/dancehall spice too,” she said.
While Queendalyne takes a crack at dancehall, Afrobeats, which originated in Nigeria, is the rage of the pop world. That sound has caught on in major markets in the United States and Europe thanks to acts like Burna Boy, Wizkid, and Davido.
— Howard Campbell