Kenyan songstress Nikita Kering is rolling out the red carpet for her first studio EP since her highly successful 2022 effort The Other Side
Lick Back EP is set for release today following singles and features throughout the years, as well as successful projects that have positioned Nikita as a household name in East Africa’s music scene.
The gap years also include her highly-publicised departure from her blockbusting record deal that saw her become the first Kenyan female artists to sign with Universal Music Group South Africa.
“The EP is about getting my revenge for everything to everyone. Kind of like taking things into my own hands and being unapologetic. We’re all going through a tough time in this world, I think it’s time someone speaks on it,” Nikita says of the EPs’ inspiration.
The Last Name singer has already teased the artwork and tracklist to a resounding reception online, with fans sharing their excitement of the project ahead of the release.
The multi-award winning songstress taps features from East Africa’s current highest streamed artist Sofiya Nzau, known for her floating vernacular delivery with hit songs such as Mwaki that has been streamed close to half a billion times on Spotify alone.
“I started working on the intro and it sounded quite tribal. Then I remembered wanting to work with Sofiya for a while and it all just clicked. I hit her up and she was really willing to do it. We got into the studio and the ideas just flowed. She showed me how to sing in Kikuyu which was really cool! I’m so glad she agreed to be on the song, she’s the most perfect addition to the EP” Nikita says on her collaboration with Sofiya on the intro track blending their Kikuyu and Nandi roots.
Lick Back is a five-track LP that reflects Nikita stepping into a new era. Combining genres of R&B, Dancehall (riddims) with splashes of Gengetone, the EP is a mirror of her high school music influences reimagined in a modern way.
She conflates English, Swahili and Patois on different records, experiments with rap, and manages to maintain a playful yet fearless touch that balances her authentic cultural identity with a global appeal.
Thematically, the body of work speaks to relatable tropes such as Nikita’s emotional boundaries on Niwache, Swahili for “Leave me Alone”, where she warns lovers to love her or leave her alone, to subject matters of self-worth where she checks promoters and malicious business partners seeking to exploit her and undervalue with Give me my Money.
Power reclamation anthems such as Outside where she glows on a post break-up single rather than dwelling on heartbreak and sappiness display her relentlessness - to the EP closer Sema Ukweli where she straddles in more familiar ballad territory on a cut that broods honesty.
Here she flirts with the idea of a lover constantly leaving and returning in her life as she probes them for truth, clarity and groundedness rather than confusion - even when it’s difficult. “Sema Ukweli” stands for “Tell The Truth” in Swahili.
Production was handled by a cast of Kenyan producers including hit-maker Vic West, Cap and Brim.
