Nonso Amadi - "Ease Up"

Chinonso Obinna Amadi AKA Nonso Amadi, born September 1, 1995, is a Nigerian Afro-R&B, recording artist, songwriter, and producer living in Canada. He began his musical career while attending college in Nigeria. After moving to Canada, Nonso began producing music by fusing the soulful and rhythmic African beats with R&B.

“I really loved Mary J Blige, Brandy, Wyclef Jean, Paul Play. I love R&B because it’s slow enough to allow you to feel,”

He released his first hit single 'Tonight', September 22, 2015, both produced and written by Nonso. It launched him into global success, with over 15 million views and 10 million Spotify streams.

What really stuck were the R&B stylings of the early 2000s. “I liked music that was softer and had a nice balance,” he tells MTV News. “Music that had an element of R&B soulful singing but also a nice groove to it, like Craig David and Brandy. That also drew me to artists like Usher, because he had records like ‘Burn,’ where the beat is making you move but he's actually saying something.”

His passion for music pushed him to produce deep soulful hits with Juls- "Early," which featured Maleek Berry, Cruel Santino - Freaky also featuring Bridge, and Odunsi (The Engine), with whom he collaborated on the War EP.

Creating new ways to tell his stories is better reflected in his 2019 EP Free , which features big time Afro heavyweights. The six-track playlist include "Better" (feat. Simi), "Never", "What Makes You Sure?, "No Crime", "Go Outside" (feat. Mr Eazi), and "Free" . He stands firm in his craft, constantly evolving and incorporating Afro beats with hip-hop.

“I want listeners to hear this next project and know who I am and what I’ve gone through. I want to make great songs that tell my story”

Sometime after, Nonso made the deliberate decision to withdraw from social media and postpone the release of any music. The intention was to immerse himself in his craft and distance himself from noise and distraction. Unaware of the impending worldwide epidemic, Amadi's took the time to detox and regenerate.

“It became like a job,” he says. “It was like I was running this oil company and needed to look at what the next strategy was, or what the other company was doing. Every time I think of music, I don't know how to think about marketing. It was tough on my mental health.”

Two recent singles, "Different" featuring duo Majid Jordan, amassed over five million worldwide plays and over two million youtube views since its official launch in May 2022. Another captivating single "Eye to Eye", written by Amadi, Evan Porter, John Vassos, Mahjabeen Baig, and Goldchain, was released September 1, 2022 under Def Jam USA/Universal Music Canada label. "Eye to Eye" further defines Nonso Amadi's distinct sound in the R&B/Afro genre, a mixture of insightful verses, euphoric synths, and trance-like trips.

On the inspiration behind the song, Nonso says “The chorus line and melody were stuck in my head for weeks “we don’t always see eye to eye, but we know when it’s the perfect time”. It’s a song about being at odds with your significant other but you both recognize when it’s time to make up. This is also my most collaborative song yet in terms of production and composition.”

Which brings us to his newest single "Ease Up", released January 20, 2023. Written by Nonso Amadi, TJ Whitelaw and Harper Gordon. He remains true to his art and brand. Sweet melodious, dreamy and laid back. In the song, he gives wind to the struggles an average man faces everyday, he mentions: Lagos Nigeria, difficulty earning an honest living, corrupt politicians, and his call to everyone to ease up.

“The way I achieved this was by having the song feel like it has emphatic highs and lows,” he tells Complex Canada. “It starts heavy with the drums and chant but then it breathes a little in the verses; allowing me to sing calmly about the topics I mentioned earlier before going back to a heavily drum-laid chorus.”

Lyrics From Genius.com

Ease Up, Ease Up

Yeah-Yeah

[Verse 1]

I came a long way from Ikeja

Na why I hot pass Lagos weather o

I no fit waste my time dey argue with you

I got to move it's now or never, never

So many distraction, commotion

Make a bad man run away

Politicians dem no send

We dey find traffic for Mowe

They wan pull me over

How dey smell my money?

Na wetin I dey try calculate

Say na this fine girl wey day cool me down now

Yeah, yeah, yeah

[Pre-Chorus]

I don't really blame myself

I've been on this road for long timе

The leaders no day carе for us

Their politics is more important

I no fit to kill myself

Mama I go take amnesia

[Chorus]

We just wanna ease up

Forget the stress like you've got amnesia

Pretty girls with me and they wanna tease us

Give thanks to Jah for all of ma G's yeah

Girl you gotta ease up

[Verse 2]

Damn so many things I fit complain

Naijia men are mad, you know the saying

But how man go sane when nothing changes (nothing changes)

I'm just saying

Buy a new whip they scratch your paint

Get some new ice they snatch your chain

Times so hard it's head to blame 'em

But me say ease up

Find me herbs and tea yeah

Make I look for Visa

There's no guarantee for this world

But me can't give up o

Fighting is my default mode

Omo na wetin I dey find con dey find me ni

Fine girl wey cool my high BP o

[Pre-Chorus]

I don't really blame myself

I've been on this road for long time

The leaders no day care for us

Their politics is more important

I no fit to kill myself

Mama I go take amnesia

[Chorus]

We just wanna ease up

Forget the stress like you've got amnesia

Pretty girls with me and they wanna tease us

Give thanks to Jah for all of ma G's yeah

Girl you gotta ease up

If you decide to purchase any item using our referral/affiliate links, be aware, we may receive a portion of the sales as commission, i.e. if you purchase a product/service.

To shop, select or click buttons, links or images, you will be redirected to product pages. Please, carefully research before you purchase. Feel free to share and leave a comment, we would love to hear from you. Your feedback is very important to us.

For more like this, music, literature, news, fashion, savvy political commentary, and fascinating features, sign up for the Steven Wick News Letter.

We here at the Steven Wick Blog are so proud of our work, we’d like to thank you for being a part of our community. However, our mission to share so much from music, literature, lifestyle to fashion is a 24/7 undertaking! We need your help to continue our work. Your financial donation will help us not only keep the lights on, but enable us run many more stories in the future to come. DONATE HERE