Nigerian-born, North Carolina–raised musician Uwade has shared “Harmattan,” a glowing new single and music video from her long-awaited debut album Florilegium, out April 25 via Ehiose Records / Thirty Tigers. The song offers one of the clearest views yet into Uwade’s evolving musical world—rooted in memory, shaped by experimentation, and carried by her unmistakably emotive voice.
Uwade grew up surrounded by hymnal choral music and Nigerian Highlife, sounds that played constantly from her late father’s car radio. Those influences surface vividly on “Harmattan,” a track born during a period when she was deeply immersed in West African music, afrobeats, and string arrangements that reminded her of medieval European harpsichords. While recording the song’s drum solo, Uwade shared videos of an Esan dance masquerade called Egbabonelimhin—performed during her father’s burial—with percussionist Jason Burger. The emotional weight of that reference came through immediately, giving the track a haunting, physical power. The finished song stands out on the album as both richly textured and unmistakably pop-forward, revealing a new, earworm-ready side of her sound.
“For a long time, this song was a giant puzzle,” Uwade explains. “I couldn’t figure out lyrics, a compelling arrangement, or how to transform it from the earliest stages of the demo to what it is now. Somehow the song’s creative cycle is reflected in the subject matter—lots of questions, few answers, and being forced to find comfort in the chaos.” She adds that each phase of experimentation unlocked something new she loved, eventually refining the song into exactly what she envisioned. One lyric in particular—‘Will you sway with me when my voice gives out?’—became central, helping her untangle deep anxiety around being a musician. “I don’t think there’s an answer,” she says, “but I’m ok with that for now.”
Directed by Jason Wishnow, the music video for “Harmattan” visually mirrors the song’s emotional movement, adding another layer to an already transportive release.
Over the past few years, Uwade has been everywhere quietly. Her voice opens Fleet Foxes’ Grammy-nominated album Shore, and since then she’s earned widespread acclaim from outlets including The New York Times, The Guardian, NPR, UPROXX, Stereogum, The FADER, Consequence, Pigeons & Planes, and Brooklyn Vegan. Critics have praised her genre-defying blend of folk, soul, pop, and electronic elements, as well as the hypnotic, vapor-like quality of her vocals. Along the way, she’s collaborated with her North Carolina community on Psychic Hotline, opened for artists like The Strokes, Jamila Woods, Sylvan Esso, and Local Natives, and balanced touring with studies at Columbia and Oxford.
Florilegium marks the first full-length project entirely her own. The album is a shimmering anthology that finds sweetness and light within sorrow, weaving together disparate influences through Uwade’s expansive voice and intellectual depth. Currently pursuing a PhD, she cites Catullus and Virgil alongside Julian Casablancas and Nina Simone as inspirations. The album’s title comes from the Latin florilegus, meaning “flower-gathering.” “I offer these songs as flowers of gratitude to those who have seen me through my life,” Uwade says. “I share them with the world as a reminder to cherish opportunities for renewal.”
The album was recorded across three studio sessions over a year and a half: first in upstate New York with Sam Cohen in 2022, then in New York City in early 2024 with Jon Seale, and finally back home in North Carolina with Alli Rogers at Betty’s, Sylvan Esso’s sun-filled studio in Chapel Hill. By the end, Uwade felt decisive, empowered, and fully in control of her creative vision.
In support of the release, Uwade will perform a run of headline shows, including sold-out dates in London and Big Sur, with upcoming performances in New York City, Seattle, Chicago, Los Angeles, and appearances at major festivals in the UK and US.
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