Queen Naija has surprised her fans with the release of a new EP. After The Butterflies comes with 10 songs and features from Youngboy Never Broke Again, Monica, Eric Bellinger and Ella Mai.
The EP kicks off with “Fading Away,” a soaring piano number, before moving on to highlights like the atmospheric track “All or Nothing” featuring Ella Mai, “No Fake Love,” the deeply relatable “One Of Them Days” featuring R&B icon Monica, and “Taboo,” a soulful collaboration with Eric Bellinger. Another EP-defining standout is “Self Love” — a track that showcases Queen Naija’s full range and emotional delivery.
“I gave all of my love away, I thought that maybe it would bring some good to me,” she sings over a bouncy percussion and swoony guitar picking. “I sacrifice for those who wouldn’t do the same.” Later, at the chorus, Queen Naija proclaims: “Me — can’t nobody love me like, can’t no one fulfill my needs like me.” As seductive as it is confident and laidback, the track has a charm all of its own.
After The Butterflies follows the release of included singles like “No Fake Love” and “Words of Affirmation.” Hailed as “the first soul star of the social media generation” by The New York Times, the Detroit native has amassed more than 60 billion combined global streams in her career to date. Earlier this year, she celebrated the five-year anniversary of her breakthrough double-platinum smash “Medicine.” It’s just one award in her long list of accolades.
Listen to the full project below: