RADARArticles / article / 2025-04-28T02:00:27+01:00 · RADARCharts by REM
Odenose Unveils the Heartbeat of Perseverance on New Single “Up and Down” (feat. Cef AsHantA).
Odenose’s upcoming single, “Up and Down,” featuring Cef Asanti, encourages listeners to embrace patience and resilience amidst life’s uncertainties. Set for release on May 1st, 2025, the song captures the bittersweet nat
Odenose Unveils the Heartbeat of Perseverance on New Single “Up and Down” (feat. Cef AsHantA)The update
In a world spinning ever faster toward instant gratification, Odenose invites us to slow down, breathe, and reconnect with something far more enduring: truth. Her new single, “Up and Down” featuring the rich, soulful tones of Cef Ashanta, isn’t just another song on the playlist — it’s a quiet revolution. It’s a song for the unseen, the almost-there, and the silent strivers among us.
Set for release on May 1st, 2025, “Up and Down” is a soul-stirring Afro-soul anthem that gracefully captures the bittersweet dance between hope and heartbreak. It tells Folake’s story — but in reality, it tells all of ours.
A Song That Speaks to the Struggle We Hide
Unlike tracks chasing viral moments, “Up and Down” is built for the quiet hours — the moments of doubt, the slow steps forward, the long nights wondering if it will all be worth it.
Over lush layers of Afrobeat rhythms and highlife grooves, Odenose’s voice doesn’t just sing — it breathes life into shared experiences:
“Up and down e go / Life no be straight line / Good thing e take time.”
Her message is disarmingly simple: life doesn’t move in straight lines. In a culture obsessed with speed and success, Odenose reminds us that growth, healing, and fulfillment arrive in their own time.
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Cef Ashanta’s feature is a warm, grounding presence, delivering wisdom with a gentleness that soothes even the most restless hearts:
“No be ginger dey cook beans eh / Everything get e time and e season eh.”
Their collaboration feels less like a feature and more like two old friends, exchanging truths we often forget we need to hear.
The Creative Journey: Honesty Over Hype
The making of “Up and Down” was as intentional as its message. Odenose, alongside producers Bkswithvibe and Ifektive, crafted a soundscape that values patience and emotional weight over trends.
Every drumbeat, every chord progression is placed with care, allowing the song — and the story within it — the space to breathe.
“It had to be honest,” Odenose shares. “It had to sound like how waiting feels.”
And it does. It’s an experience of being seen, in the quiet, in-between spaces of life.
Odenose: A Voice for Those Still Becoming
Emerging as one of Nigeria’s most vital new Afro-soul voices, Odenose weaves emotional storytelling with a rich tapestry of African sounds — from highlife and alté to classic Afrobeats and R&B.
Her strength lies not just in her vocal prowess but in her vulnerability: a rare willingness to share the private struggles so many endure in silence.
Where others chase bangers for the moment, Odenose crafts songs for the journey.
“Up and Down” stands tall among them — a quiet classic in the making, an anthem for every Folake who has whispered “God when?” into the night and kept moving anyway.
Why “Up and Down” Matters Right Now
In an era defined by curated perfection and the pressure to “arrive” quickly, “Up and Down” offers something radical: patience. Compassion. Solidarity.
It’s not a song of easy answers or manufactured hope — it’s a hand on the shoulder, a whisper in the dark:
Your time is still coming.
Trust your path.
Honor your pace.
Believe.
“This song is for the people who are still becoming. For those who are still on the way. You’re not late. You’re just right on time.” — Odenose
“Up and Down” by Odenose featuring Cef Ashanta releases worldwide on May 1st, 2025. Prepare to feel seen.