Bella Shmurda Doubles the Tension on Sophomore EP

Iyke Bede

Touted as one of the promising acts to emerge from the music industry during the pandemic, Nigerian-born singer Akinbiyi Abiola Ahmed, known as Bella Shmurda, returns to the music scene today with ‘High Tension: Vol. 2’, a follow-up to his debut EP ‘High Tension’.

The project houses eight tracks with no features from either established or up-and-coming acts. This exclusion was a deliberate move for the singer to assess his strength and gain reverence as a standalone act. He earlier collaborated with Olamide (‘Vision 2020’) and Zlatan (‘Cash App’).

“I want to know my strengths. I want to know what I can do without any big wigs featuring in my songs. At this point, I have to prove what I can do,” he said in a recent interview. He further disclosed that fans will see him in a different dimension with the new EP.

The EP arrives on the heels of rounding off his final exams at the Lagos State University (LASU), where he studied History and International Relations. Interestingly, he recorded his breakout hit ‘Vision 2020’ while still in school.

“Before my breakout in the music industry, I had always been a student. Majorly, I think it is all about the mindset. You must be passionate about this career path before you can make it.”

On this EP, Shmurda says that he has harnessed the experience gained so far in his musical journey to project more confidence and channel robust themes into his work. He also attributes the COVID-19 lockdown period as an opportunity for self-evaluation and rediscovery.

“I think that period (lockdown) gave everyone (creatives) time to prepare, to learn, and get better. During that time, I understood myself. I knew what I wanted. Before then, I just wanted to be an artist, but now, I want to be an entrepreneur. I see more possibilities.”

Dealing with similar topics like his debut EP, ‘High Tension: Vol 2’, serves as a mouthpiece for the masses in highlighting current socioeconomic plights that they face daily.

He describes the EP as “a taste of every vibe on my album,” which is planned for release next year.