One-half of Blaq Diamond Danya Devs, alongside his brother-on-stage Ndu Browns, has chiseled himself into the hearts of damsels with his youthful and sugary vocals paired with his solipsistic charm. Set to drop his debut album—the date somewhere unknown on the other side of the horizon—the producer and singer-songwriter extracted two singles from the project to treat his fans with, one of which is titled “Esbukweni”.
Sultry and swaddled with an inviting mood of romance, the afropop tune echoes with crisp guitar strums that come to the fore, the afterimage of their sound complemented by handclaps, soft taps of the bass drums and the shadow of erratic chords tracing the movement of the song’s laggard tempo. There’s a considerable thinness to the production density of “Esbukweni” as well as a hyperbolic pitch that sharpens the guitar the song owes much of its personality to, lending the single the rustic fabric of Maskandi influence.
“Esbukweni” cover art | SUPPLIED
Slick-tongued and proficient with wit, Danya rhapsodises his “iphakade lami”, with poetic lyrics that exclusively exist on the physical side of the spectrum (“Umzimba wakho ibhodlela le-champagne”). True to the theme of external beauty as also reflected in the title of the song being about how the love his life sees herself in the mirror, “Esbukweni” finds Danya worshipping his lover, with the singer deifying his love interest by comparing her splendor to that of celestial beings and with him being so enamored to the point of preaching the gospel of her beauty.
Taking it a step further, Devs soaks up the prestige that is part and parcel of being in the presence of and being embraced by this woman whose looks he esteems with as much admiration as the people around them. From the virginity of hotel bed sheets to her shining brighter than the stars, it is with over-the-top pick up lines that the crooner lets his heart’s weakness know that not only did he have feelings for her but also that she open her eyes and recognise the royalty that he perceives with his.
Danya Devs | SUPPLIED
What’s particularly striking about the song is Danya’s ability to spin the fantasy as far as he takes it on the song without an erotic slip. In the whirlwind of promises to do anything for her and to take her shopping, the warbler keeps his intentions clean, expressing his feelings whilst admiring the build of his potential lover with the cautious approach of a high schooler that has a way with words.
Even though the art of courting emlanjeni has been lost—and continues to dwindle—in the modernisation of the world, the muscle memory is still there. With grand praises and an eye that crowns beauty, Danya Dev’s “Esbukweni” exemplifies that a woman’s allure, much like a man’s vulnerability to it, is eternal.
Listen to “Esbukweni”:
