Written by Skye Mallac:
Channeling heartbreak and femme-power through the lens of a woman cheated on, JoyRukanza offers up “Queendom”: a searing, minimalist R&B banger with an accompanying video that’s unsettling enough to rival Squid Game. Ok, perhaps not quite, but there’s a solid dose of ferocity and violent proclivities to lend a neck-prickling edge to her latest offering.
The Zimbabwean-hailing R&B muso, who rose to prominence earlier this year with her debut “New Day” featuring South African heavyweight KiD X, delivers whatever she has to say with fiery authority – and “Queendom” is no different.
A thundering, minimalist synth undertone lays the foundation of her knife-sharp lyricism. Hollow percussive effects meet East-African choral textures, while she waxes lyrical with a passive-aggressive (though leaning more to the aggressive) stance on women’s empowerment after having been cheated on.
Heavy stuff. Made heavier by Tanzanian director Silvester Renatus Kikoti (aka Twinner) – whose visual juxtaposes JoyRukanza and two lackeys torturing the man unfortunate enough to have hurt her, alongside gorgeous shots of her donned in various scintillating outfits, as she cuts a striking figure on the ocean shoreline.
Nothing like some unexpected contrast to add to your playlist – and set your teeth on edge.
