Music is meant to make us feel something. We are all familiar with songs about heartbreak, family, love, God, sexual desire, society, identity, and even mental health struggles. We relate to those songs at different phases of our ever-changing lives, and we sometimes reach the extent of gatekeeping the songs we discover because they have marked us indelibly.

Let me ask you a question, though: when was the last time that you listened to music and directly felt like you were enrobed with warm sunlight?

I recently discovered an EP that was recommended to me by the streaming platform I use.  Brighter Days it said. It was an EP by an artist whose name I had never heard―whose name was so unique I couldn’t help but click on the suggestion. Blessing Offor. The artist’s name is Blessing Offor.

Blessing Offor, Blessing…Offer… coincidence?

OK, let me walk you through it.

The EP starts with Tin Roof, a track that begins with a light piano melody, and allows you to be mesmerized by Offor’s soulful vocals from the first few seconds. The lyrics try to picture what Heaven resembles and how ideal it actually is. For example, the Nigerian-born vocalist sings, “Maybe the sun doesn’t set, and the waters don't rise. Maybe we don't forget how to laugh like a child.”  Additionally, Offor strongly hopes that Heaven will be like “rain on a tin roof” so that, once he gets there, all his troubles will be “washed away”.

Following Tin Roof’s heartfelt composition comes Little Bird. This second track makes me think of independence and community. The little bird seeks to fly free on its own, but Offor reminds it that, even if being part of a community may have its own limitations, it will always be better to be surrounded by a community that loves us rather than just walking away on our own. Offor sings, “Freedom all alone, well that’s a cage on its own. Freedom on your own ain’t really free.” This track consists of joyful upbeat melodies and gospel-like voices that smoothly followed a very gentle piano introduction.

Next on the EP comes the track Brighter Days. This song carries a message of hope and perseverance. The gospel-like harmonies and the loud drums continue to dominate in this track as they have in the previous, with even more emotions, soul, and power in Offor’s voice, which showcases how much the vocalist wants the listeners to hear this message. The song begins with the chorus, sung delicately, only to then start picking up in affirmation, energy, and vocals.

The following two tracks, Believe and How Much You Mean to Me, revolve around God’s love and faithfulness. In the former, Offor seeks reassurance from God, asking Him questions about the uncertainties and what’s next to come. This is hence why the track begins softly, with Offor’s voice accompanied by a piano and a soft synth. The more the song advances with the questions, the more the music and the vocals pick up, which may portray Offor’s determined seeking for reassurance. In the latter track, Offor wholeheartedly expresses how faithful God is, as well as how sufficiency in God’s love can really be the only sufficiency your soul truly needs.

Sixth on the EP is Love Something, an emotional track that discusses how love plays its part in our lives―from start to finish, from when you start loving someone/something until you unfortunately have to let them go. I can talk for hours about this song, so please, just listen attentively to its lyrics. 

Blessing Offor is truly a blessing offered to the world of music. Not only is this artist an example of another powerful, soulful, and underrated talent, but the messages of hope, Light, and love that are captured in his songs truly bring a lot of much-needed sunshine into one’s day.