Ṣẹwà has never shied away from confronting emotions in her music. Since announcing her arrival with 2021’s Toxic, the singer has bared her thoughts on betrayal, love and healing with an astounding level of clarity. Her instinct for bringing real-life dynamics to music has only grown stronger in the four years it has taken to complete her debut album, Detox. Playing like a cleansing of the soul and guided by Ṣẹwà’s buttery vocals, Detox is filled with searing numbers and probing anthems that speak to the depth of the human condition. There is a dissection of romantic choice and bodily autonomy on the cathartic “Brother Kevwe” that segues into “Femi”, a jazzy meditation on the dynamics of a failed relationship with the titular character. The scales on Detox are drastically upped when Ṣẹwà’s inner monologues are reworked into narrational tools: “Is there something wrong with me?” she asks on “Àsìkò”, before urging herself to embrace self-love. On the guitar-led “Lost”, she flirts with death due to the anguish of losing loved ones. Later, on “Dead Inside”, she’s recounting how she steels herself to deal with life despite all the loss she suffers. “I cannot even cry when I try,” she sings over a cinematic instrumental. But Detox is as much about letting go of what hurts as it is about making space for delightful experiences and endless possibilities. She’s manifesting success and renown on “Intro”, claiming a lover on the groovy “Y2K”, and having a ball on “Lagos Lovin’”. Above all, throughout Detox, Ṣẹwà is coming to terms with where she is in life and who she now is. The songs are layered, heavy and, often, hopeful, but the Lagos-hailing singer is committed to working her way through all she’s feeling with candour.