Nigeria: Teni releases second album Tears of the Sun

Released via Platoon, the 16-track LP, follows her 2021 debut album Wondaland. It sees the singer expand her sound across moving autobiographical tales to feel-good anthems.

The project was heralded by singles like ‘No Days Off’, which is already approaching four million streams and has been named one of Rolling Stone’s Best Songs of 2023 so far, and ‘Malaika’, which chronicles the singer’s struggles away from the spotlight.

“Life is a beautiful journey of ups, downs, highs and lows,” said Teni. “However in the midst of all of it, I’m grateful to be a vessel in this world. Tears of the Sun has taught me about life and has brought many blessings. Life is for the living, people come and people go but remember your time around the sun will surely come, and mine is here and here to stay.”

Teni’s new release campaign follows the success of last year’s ‘Maitama (Going)’ single, and a recent rework of Bob Marley & The Wailers classic ‘Three Little Birds’ with Oxlade. Last year, Teni also made her debut on COLORSxSTUDIOS and featured on Stormzy’s latest album This Is What I Mean.

Teni, who also boasts collaborations with Afrobeats stars Davido and Wizkid, is known for uplifting, stylistically eclectic songs that stand apart from her Afropop contemporaries. She first came to prominence in 2018, when a series of songs including ‘Case’ found a streaming audience numbering in the millions. Her debut EP, Billionaire, followed in 2019. The same year, she was nominated for a BET Award for Best New International Act and an MTV Europe Music Award for Best African Act, before teaming up with DJ Neptune the following year with The Quarantine Playlist EP.