Ray of sunshine - EP

On her debut EP, Jos-hailing singer Rayona’s voice glides like pleasurable whispers over deeply soulful Afrobeats production. Just a few years before releasing this EP, she’d gained her first bit of buzz through TikTok covers, but here at 18, she presents as a fully developed artist. Ray of sunshine is solemn yet hopeful, like light breaking through after a storm. The project closes with “CRAZE”, a testament to resilience in the face of external pressures: “Country hard but I no craze oo/Run my race, no dey look face oo.” Still, she doesn’t dwell in struggle: “I getti God for my side/Enemies try but they can’t take me.” Before that, Ray of sunshine feels both delicate and determined, an introduction to a young voice whose light is just beginning to shine through. When the bass notes groan on “Sinz”, they do so with restraint, a sign of artistic control and intentionality. In the same token, she’s unafraid to explore existential themes. On “Testimony”, she affirms survival: “Been to dark places in my mind/I am a testimony ah,” while “Jeje”, with its moody violin, is an assertion of vulnerability, Rayona singing, “Hold me jeje.”