Uwade – Harmattan

Nigerian-born, North Carolina-raised musician Uwade will release her long-awaited debut album Florilegium next month via Thirty Tigers, and today she shares another preview of the forthcoming album with “Harmattan.”

Uwade grew up steeped in the sounds of hymnal choral music and Nigerian Highlife on her late-father’s car radio. “Harmattan” in particular emerged from a period where she was immersed in West African music, specifically afrobeats and string instruments that she found bordered on medieval European harpsichords. While tracking the drum solo for the track, she shared with percussionist Jason Burger videos of an Esan dance masquerade called Egbabonelimhin that was performed during her father’s burial for reference; during his first few takes she got the chills. The resulting track is an album standout. We meet a new side of her musical aesthetic here too, more true-blue pop earworm.

On the new single, Uwade shares “For a long time, this song was a giant puzzle. I couldn’t figure out lyrics, a compelling arrangement, or how to transform it from the earliest stages of the demo to what it is now. Somehow the song’s creative cycle is reflected in the subject matter–lots of questions, few answers, and being forced to find comfort in the chaos. It turned out that every new phase of experimentation unlocked another element of the song that I loved. As Harmattan went from demo to studio to demo to studio, I refined my vision and the song became exactly what I wanted. ‘Will you sway with me when my voice gives out?’ Is one of my favorite lyrics on Florilegium. Writing it helped me to unravel a huge knot of anxiety around being a musician that I’d been dealing with for some time. I don’t think there’s an answer, but I’m ok with that for now.”

Uwade will perform a string of headline shows including a sold out date in London, and US shows in New York City, Seattle, Chicago and Los Angeles.

Tour Dates

3/26/25 – London, UK @ The Forge SOLD OUT

4/24/25 – Brooklyn, NY @ Baby’s All Right

5/03/25 – Seattle, WA @ Barboza

5/10/25 – Chicago, IL @ Schubas

5/15/25 – Los Angeles, CA @ Moroccan Lounge

5/16-18/25 – Big Sur, CA @ Hipnic SOLD OUT

7/5/25 – Quilcene, WA @ Quilcene Lantern

8/28-31/25 – Dorset, UK @ End of the Road Festival

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