MUSIC REVIEW
Maybe by Xenia Manasseh and Ukweli
Review by Isaac Opiyo
Fast rising rnb and neo-soul chanteuse Xenia Manasseh (pronounced Zee-knee-ia), once again
proves that she is one of a kind with her latest body of work, Maybe, a collaborative venture
alongside producer and DJ Ukweli. Our first introduction to her was in 2019 with the debut of
her first Ep, Fallin’ Apart. The record was met with positive review and acclaim that saw it top
the iTunes rnb/soul charts, and solidified her artistry and presence in the Kenyan music scene.
The extended playlist was perhaps in retrospect, our glimpse at the birth of a star in real time.
Fallin’ Apart catapulted the singer to spaces and heights so up the stratosphere, but that she
seems so at home in. Xenia’s ability to capture humanity’s abstract and mundane concepts in her
lyricism is possibly the singer’s greatest gift to her audience. The project was a collection of
super relatable heartbreak songs. ‘See Me’ and ‘Don’t Go’ are fan favorites and so is ‘When it’s
All Over’, which has experienced a pretty organic growth that has seen it take on a life of its own
years later. The project’s successful release saw Xenia rack up an impressive string of career
defining moments, an uncommon characterization for a relative debutante. The Berklee school of
music alum has opened for Rema and received cosigns and recognition from various global
phenoms such as Alicia Keys as well as Mr. Eazi, who selected her for the 2020 empawa Africa
mentorship program. She’s been named one of Africa’s most exiting rising stars and was named
Spotify Equal Ambassador early this year. Xenia is also a billboard charting songwriter courtesy
of her contribution on Teyana Taylor’s album, The Album, which debuted at number 8 on the
US billboard 200 charts.
Maybe is not her first collaborative venture with Ukweli. The two have previously collaborated
on Potion and Waiting, with Xenia testing her mixing capacity on the latter. Ukweli, a fifth of
EA wave, (A DJ and producing collective pioneering the Nu Nairobi sound,) has produced for
world-class acts such as Willow Smith and is part of the 2023 class of YouTube Black Voices.
This is their first extended project together.
Etoile, the opening track, is solitude and isolation personified, a sonic haunting. Xenia’s pristine
vocals float over an intermittent drumming and live instrumentation, one of the track’s
significant hallmarks. Xenia’s lyrical specifity and poignance is as prominent as ever as she
draws the listener in with her sad and haunting yet cathartic and beguiling delivery. Her ability to
draw from, as well as elicit emotive states is once again showcased. The writing is as relatable as
ever while still maintaining a non-jaded quality about the star’s expression. Her words are an
exact depiction of loneliness and self-searching in a uniqueness that retains relatability. The
opening lines, ‘’Serenity, I swear it’s been haunting me’’ elicit curiosity and the ensuing trance
like chorus further draws the listener in. This track does a good job at setting the EP’s tone.
Ukweli’s minimalist production allows Xenia’s delivery and lyricism to shine while helping
underscore the record’s artistic direction.
The project’s titular track, Maybe, follows, further highlighting the singer’s quest for clarity in a
situation marked by uncertainty. One can’t help but wonder how much of it is true to the singer’s
experience and how much isn’t. The song is a musing on the complicatedness of indecision with
a gentle yet unrelenting pursuit of clarity. Towards the chorus, the track develops into a tussle of
wills polarized at the ends of factual knowledge and abstract intuitive pursuits, in this case, want
and desire.
Maybe opens up to Love Me or Leave Me, a vulnerable and delicate song that is in its softness,
commanding. The track is a final plea before a tip into resignation and tentative acceptance.
Patience is wearing thin as uncertainty becomes less exciting and alluring as the rush of desire
tappers out. ‘’Love me or leave me, I don’t wanna say too much,’’ she sings in a gentle yet
striking demand to a significant other. It’s now or never, she implies. Enough has been had, she’s
been taken for granted for a little too long. This is a heartbreak song you can move to. Once
again, Xenia proves that no one can quite emote in the manner that she can, playing us like
fiddles and moving us in whatever manner she pleases with her voice, amplified and
complimented by the production tapestry she weaves over.
Lost, the following track is an amazing and particular fusion of all the elements of Xenia’s
artistry that are resonant with her intimate fan base, on Ukweli’s trap infused production. The
track is nothing short of an intricate build-up of technicality and intention and is thus a feast for
the ears. The song is introduced by deceptive soulful synths that usher in Xenia’s rap-esque
cadence that she appropriately switches at will throughout the self-asserting anthem. Everything
about the vocal delivery, highlights Xenia’s understanding and mastery of her voice. The vocal
layering prominent in this track is evidence of her having studied the greats, particularly Brandy.
Ukweli’s understanding of his collaborator enables him set up a suitable foundation for her
expression and it pays off. It is not every day that masterpieces like Lost are made.
Circadian Riddim, the closing song is an embrace of one’s humanity in all its fallible glory. This
is a full circle moment as clarity and self-awareness fully take center stage. Xenia’s songwriting
is once again a prominent feature alongside the melodies. This vibey, jazzy track brings the
searching embodied by the EP to an end that makes sense.
Ukweli and Xenia are a duo we didn’t know we needed. They complement each other in a
manner that we couldn’t have possibly envisioned had they not come together in this feat of
complimentary cohesion. Maybe is a story come full circle, with the uncertainties prominent at
the start reaching resolution in the end. Maybe is what comes to life when true collaboration
happens