Minneapolis-based Nigerian-Zimbabwean artist today shares her debut EP, ‘WAR IS OV3R’.
UCHAYE largely conceived the five-track concept project in her bedroom studio, guided by synergy with musician Shaun Fleming (aka Diane Coffee).
The EP is both referential and modern, tapping into the tough and riffy rock ‘n’ roll of David Bowie, The Police, Bruce Springsteen, Joan Jett and Lenny Kravitz, while evoking the emo rapture of early Paramore and Phoebe Bridgers.
The narrative arc of ‘WAR IS OV3R’ is entirely UCHAYE’s own, however, following the tortured but triumphant protagonist through the cycle of a breakup; from denial, to escape, to a hardened pursuit of power, and finally to full, electric rebirth.
From the spectral guitar notes of opener ‘Denial (Interlude)’ to the heightened melodrama of the riffy ‘Denial’, the rhythmic pop propulsion of the anesthetizing ‘Currency’, and galactic rock of liberatory closer ‘Live Wire’ – UCHAYE asserts her creative potential on a transitional, character-building project,
Of the EP experience, UCHAYE shares:
“WAR IS OV3R is about transformation and how the things that break us can ultimately shape who we become. The record moves through heartbreak, denial, survival, and ambition before arriving at something greater: freedom. But beyond the music, it’s also a reflection of my own journey, the fear, uncertainty, and self-doubt I’ve had to overcome to get here. They say there are no winners in war, and I think the greatest victory is realizing you no longer have to fight yourself. By the time we reach “Live Wire,” it’s no longer about surviving. It’s about becoming everything you were meant to be. The war is over. Now it’s time to take over.”
Born in Alton, Illinois and based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, UCHAYE was first catalysed during the pandemic, when she returned to the guitar, began recording at home and started producing original music. Under the tutelage of Fleming, UCHAYE honed her songwriting, drawing on her lived experience, observational anecdotes, films and fleeting thoughts that grew into vivid musical worlds.
Beyond the studio, she’s built a rapidly growing audience of over 600,000 TikTok followers and has performed at notable Twin Cities venues and festivals, including Paisley Park and First Avenue.
Tune in now.