MO' CHEDDAH... Deserves Some” Cheddahs” in ....DESTINAMBARI BY KEHINDE AJOSE.

The journey towards making a comeback is not usually an easy feat, especially in a competitive music industry like ours where the shelf life of a song isn’t as predictable as the weather .Staging a comeback is usually a bumpy ride especially if it’s a long awaited one. Mo’Cheddah (Modupe Modupe-Oreoluwa Oyeyemi ) is not a rookie when it comes to the business of music. Before her infamous separation from her erstwhile record label Knight House, she clinched the award for Most Gifted Female Act in the 2010 Channel O Africa Video Music Awards; and in 2012 won a Channel O AVMA for a collaboration track with Ghanaian artist, D-Black in Most Gifted African West Music video category for ‘Falling’. The music suddenly stopped for her , and our dear Modupe started struggling to bounce back into reckoning.

 This week , she released her long anticipated single ’Destinambari’. Her fans can now heave a big sigh of relieve …. It’s been worth the wait. When I initially heard about the title, the judgmental part of me was quick to take her to the critics’ court, thinking it’s going to be the everyday fast paced songs that dot the Nigerian music firmament. To my astonishment , the song is a breath of fresh air, a love ballad that can make you win the heart of your beau even after a heart break.

Artiste-Mocheddah
Guest Appearance-Phyno
Producer-Cobhams
Label-Mocheddah Music

The song starts off with a brilliant piano strings feel which gives the song a romantic tone, accompanied by a rap rendition from the fast growing rap sensation Phyno. Even if you don’t understand what he raps about, you can still feel his emotions and the passion with which he spits his bars. The dude is gradually carving a niche for himself as the ‘Go to guy for collabos’. Then Mocheddah’s voice serenades you as she sings: ’Ooooh Baby’/’I can’t explain the way this love dey do me/’.Her voice this time is devoid of auto tune and one can really connect to the depth of her voice range even her new found vibrato.
In the chorus, the song switiches into a full blast but slow paced Hi-life tune which is capable of becoming the new mainstream wedding anthem. The chorus is a fusion of the right chords, subtle bass line and konga that contributes to making the song groovy and original . Real artistes go the extra mile to make classic pieces; Mocheddah has been able to achieve this. Even though the lyrics is not exactly poetic, but she makes up for that with the faultless harmony of the song, the manner she blends Yoruba and English , and the manner in which Cobhams shows up for her with the exquisite production is commendable.

 With this rich effort, I hope the bubbly Mocheddah will be able to regain her place in the music terrain. Did I tell you that the song might just be indirectly dedicated to her heartthrob Bukunyi Olateru Olagbegi? (Now that’s the gossip in me).At the end of the song, the ‘Koma Roll’ star succeeds in not just making you love the song, but also loving the idea of being in love.