Akin Soul Places his Heart and Soul on New single ‘Master’

Shot by Nora Cammann

It only takes one voice to bring soulful music all the way back to England, and that is none other than 21 years old Texas born South East London based, Soul and Jazz singer-songwriter of Nigerian descent Akin Soul. On his latest release ‘Master’, Akin indulges himself in his own mastery, in a quest to both serenade his toxic lover and call them out, with the most soothing vocals and half-romantic lyrics. From the moment the soul singer stepped foot in the UK, throughout the course of just a few songs, Akin Soul has managed to fully win us over.

A born prodigy getting into singing, songwriting and playing a variety of instruments just at the age of 12, it was as though music was already destined for him. Although Akin Soul maintained a rather low profile, performing across stages with his then band Akin Soul & The Soul Tribe as early as 2018, it was his 2020 solo debut ‘I Want You’; however, that really placed him on the map. At the time, just a young child trying to find his place in the music industry, Akin’s talent was unmatched and he quickly found his crowd, flourishing on stages.

We’ve all been in this position before; obsessed and overly-romanticizing a love that is perhaps not meant for us. In ‘Master’, Akin tells the story of no matter how much he may like this individual, this love is evidently toxic and only keeps him behind in the pursuit of a music career. Throughout the song, Akin goes back and forth with himself, admitting he can not let go and his love interest can not help themselves, only to blame them for all of his short-comings. Ironically, it is the toxic partner that is supposed to prevent his chances of ever becoming a master in his craft, that ultimately brought us to Akin’s latest mastery produced by Slam Sounds.

Arguably Akin’s best produced track yet, the beautiful introduction with sparks effect, in combination with perfect backing vocals that will fly you to heaven whenever they hit in all of the right places, ‘Master’ is a delight served on a silver platter. It is very evident that Akin draws inspiration from the greatest; Marvin Gaye, D’Angelo and The Isley Brothers, just to name a few- a list of a soul-heavy sound that Akin naturally grew into listening to as a little infant. This track also takes a jab at Akin singing at church when he was younger, having these particular backing vocals sounding similar to a church choir, sonically hugging every part of the song that would have felt empty without them.

To listen to someone like Akin Soul, it is like traveling back in time, where music sounded simple yet complex in its structure and lyricism. Depending on how you may listen to ‘Master’, when you’re joyful, you will appreciate the soul-infused sound and when you’re sad, you will understand the lyrics. Akin built a song with so many layers, each carefully dipped in gold, only a true music lover would notice and admire. At last, just like wine, ‘Master’ is a timeless record that will taste better as it ages.