AfroSoul artist Ch! Nonso releases second single ‘Liar’ and poses questions about the legacies of lies
Following the release of his debut single Ka Home, AfroSoul artist Ch! Nonso is set to release Liar the second single from his forthcoming EP Kola Nuts & Chardonnay on Friday, 10 March.
The single is a series of questions the Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland) based artist was ruminating over about the dehumanisation and heartbreak caused by lies. In the second verse he questions what would’ve become of his-tory if he didn’t pick up his pen and voice his own story. Who would’ve appointed themselves the writer of his-tories?
Paying homage to the music tradition of Indigenous African and Black music, Ch! Nonso invites the listener to witness the deeply personal documentation of his experiences for a cathartic release that is backed by rhythmic melodies. Illuminating how the personal is not separate from the political and the multi-layered nature of heartbreak.
Sonically, the hauntingly muffled vocal effect, which sounds like an altar call due to the traditional RnB beat and call and response chant in the bridge, is influenced by D’Angelo’s ‘1000 deaths’. The style of guitar echoes Spanish influences something Ch! Nonso says is a deliberate choice to pay tribute to the different musical traditions he grew up listening to, like calypso and Afro-Cuban rhythms.
Set to release Friday, 31 March, Ch! Nonso’s debut EP Kola Nuts & Chardonnay continues this style of putting sounds and music traditions that have elements of crossover and jarring aspects seamlessly together.
