According To A Report From Notjustok, On his third Album, MELOVIA, the Nigerian artist, Savage, delivers his most assured statement yet, weaving Afrobeats, Amapiano, and R&B into a tapestry of uncompromising confidence.
On WHO, the opening salvo of his third studio LP MELÖVIA, Savage delivers a manifesto wrapped in shimmering synths: “Yes I know I’m a sinner man, but cast your stone if you better than, I got demons in my inner man, but still I met nobody realer than me.” It’s a declaration of flawed humanity that doubles as bulletproof armour, setting the stage for 34 minutes of music that feels like Lagos at midnight; electric, dangerous, and alive.
The opening track, featuring Morrelo, establishes the album’s central thesis from its first breath: authenticity doesn’t require perfection, it demands honesty. Savage’s smooth vocals glide over rolling hi-hats and those trademark shimmering synths, creating an immediate sense of elevation, you genuinely feel like the highest in the room. Morrelo’s contributions are more than mere feature fodder; his lyrics stick in your consciousness, forcing contemplation long after the track ends. It’s a perfect encapsulation of what makes MELÖVIA special: music that moves your body while engaging your mind.
Released on May 30, 2025, MELÖVIA finds Savage operating at a new altitude entirely. Where 2021’s Utopia announced his arrival with youthful exuberance and standout tracks like Confident featuring Buju and Rosemary featuring Victony, songs that were rightfully hailed as some of Afrobeats’ finest in their release year, this 13-track follow-up dives deeper into the shadows and light of contemporary Nigerian life. Following the 2023 album That Uzere Boy, Savage has mastered the art of the earworm, but MELÖVIA represents something more ambitious: an artist willing to venture into uncharted emotional territory while maintaining the melodic sensibilities that made him renowned.
The evolution is immediately apparent in the album’s sonic palette. Where previous efforts occasionally felt constrained by genre expectations, MELÖVIA operates with the confidence of an artist who has realized that boundaries exist primarily to be transcended. The production across the album is a masterclass in genre fluidity, executed with a polish that never sacrifices rawness for commercial appeal. Savage did better than hop between Afrobeats’ rhythmic complexity, Amapiano’s hypnotic bounce, and R&B’s emotional directness; he melts them together until the seams disappear entirely. The result is something that feels conscious and deeply rooted, ready for continental dancefloors while never losing sight of its local DNA.
This sonic adventurousness is perhaps most evident in how Savage approaches collaboration throughout MELÖVIA. Rather than treating features as afterthoughts or commercial necessities, each guest appearance feels carefully considered, strategically placed to enhance the album’s overarching narrative. LET ME BE pairs him with ODUMODUBLVCK over a bouncy hip-hop foundation that crackles with kinetic energy. The chemistry between the two artists is immediate and apparent, ODUMODUBLVCK’s high-octane delivery creating a perfect foil for Savage’s more measured approach. It’s a study in complementary tensions, the kind of collaboration that elevates both artists beyond what either could achieve alone.
The following track, ON DISPLAY, brings UK drill star Backroad Gee into the fold, and their partnership proves that geography is no barrier to genuine artistic chemistry. Backroad Gee’s exuberant energy and distinctive UK sound create an intriguing contrast with Savage’s calm authority, resulting in a track that feels simultaneously international and unmistakably African. It’s evidence of Savage’s growing confidence as a curator of sounds and voices, his ability to envision how disparate elements might work together to create something entirely new.
But it’s on tracks like CANOPY where MELÖVIA truly demonstrates its artistic ambitions. Featuring Jeriq and Attifaya, the song showcases three master storytellers weaving narratives over a production that feels like a perfect storm of creativity. The skittering percussion evokes everything from rainfall on corrugated metal to the rhythmic chaos of Lagos traffic, while the hook burrows deep into your consciousness with the persistence of a half-remembered dream. All three artists involved are renowned for their storytelling abilities, and CANOPY represents them operating at peak performance, creating a track that rewards casual listening and deep analysis.
The album’s midsection finds Savage exploring different facets of his artistic personality with remarkable confidence. The 11th track TREE HOUSE drips with the kind of summery warmth that makes you understand why Lagos beaches are the stuff of legend. The track’s melody feels as natural as a coastal breeze, while its content, a meditation on cannabis culture and the simple pleasure of minding your own business, reveals Savage’s ability to find profundity in seemingly straightforward subjects. It’s a 4/20 tune that doubles as a philosophical statement about finding peace in your own space, the kind of track that works equally well at a beach party or during a moment of solitary reflection.
Thematically, MELÖVIA operates on multiple levels simultaneously. On the surface, it’s an album about confidence, the sound of an artist who isn’t afraid to celebrate himself. But dig deeper, and you’ll find a more complex exploration of vulnerability, personal growth, and the ongoing challenge of remaining authentic in an industry that often rewards artifice. Tracks like CASANOVA explore romance with a mixture of swagger and genuine tenderness, revealing an artist comfortable enough with his masculinity to show emotional depth without fear of appearing weak.
FOLLOW UP featuring Priesst transforms personal longing into dancefloor euphoria through its infectious Amapiano groove, demonstrating Savage’s ability to find universal appeal in specific experiences. The production on this track is particularly noteworthy, with layers of synthesizers and percussion that create a sense of movement even when you’re sitting still. Priesst’s contributions add another dimension to the track, creating a collaboration that feels organic rather than forced.
The album’s approach to vulnerability is perhaps its most compelling aspect. Rather than hiding behind bravado or treating emotional openness as a weakness, Savage has learned to weaponize honesty. His willingness to acknowledge his flaws, those “demons in my inner man” from the opening track, becomes a source of strength rather than shame.
MELÖVIA‘s 34-minute runtime proves that discipline can be profoundly liberating. In an era where albums often feel bloated with filler tracks designed primarily to maximize streaming revenue, Savage has created a project where every moment feels essential. The album’s pacing is immaculate; moments of introspection give way to club-ready bangers without ever feeling jarring or disconnected. It’s the work of an artist who has learned to trust both his instincts and his editors, someone who understands that saying more with less often creates greater impact than endless repetition.
This editorial precision is evident throughout the album’s sequencing. Each track flows naturally into the next, creating an experience that feels carefully architected rather than randomly assembled. The album rewards both playlist culture and traditional album listening, a difficult balance that few artists manage to achieve. Whether you’re hearing these songs in isolation or as part of the complete MELÖVIA experience, they maintain their impact while contributing to a larger artistic statement.
If there’s a weakness in this otherwise impressive collection, it’s that some collaborations feel more functional than inspired. HERO, featuring hometown rapper Erigga, delivers solid storytelling and showcases Erigga’s ability to entertain from his very first bar, but the track lacks the spark that makes other collaborations feel essential to the album’s success. It’s competent rather than compelling, professional rather than passionate. While the storytelling remains engaging and Erigga’s performance is skilled, the track blends into the album’s fabric rather than adding a bold new thread to its tapestry.
The production choices throughout MELÖVIA deserve particular recognition. The beats feel contemporary, incorporating current trends without becoming enslaved to them. There’s a warmth to the sonic palette that makes even the most aggressive tracks feel inviting, a quality that speaks to the skill of everyone involved in the album’s creation. The mix is clean without being sterile, allowing each element to occupy its own space while contributing to a cohesive whole.
Savage’s vocal performance across the album demonstrates significant growth from his earlier work. His delivery has gained confidence without losing the relatability that made him appealing in the first place. Whether he’s crooning over a romantic ballad or spitting bars over a hard-hitting beat, his voice feels perfectly suited to the material. There’s a naturalness to his approach that makes complex vocal arrangements sound effortless, a skill that can’t be taught but must be developed through experience and dedication.
The album closes with a remix of Concussion featuring Zlatan that transforms the original into a chaotic, joyous celebration of Amapiano’s power to make bodies move against their better judgment. Zlatan’s presence adds an extra layer of kinetic energy to proceedings, his distinctive style perfectly complementing the track’s anarchic spirit. It’s a perfect ending to a project that understands music’s fundamental purpose: to make life feel more possible, more vibrant, more worth living.
The remix format allows Savage to demonstrate his versatility as a creator and curator. The original Concussion was already an impressive track, but the remix version elevates it into something more interesting. The additional elements create a sense of controlled chaos that mirrors the feeling of being completely lost in music, of surrendering to rhythm in a way that feels primal and sophisticated.
MELÖVIA positions Savage as an artist ready for the music industry without sacrificing the specificity that makes his music matter. In an increasingly homogenized music scene, he has created something that sounds distinctly like him while remaining accessible to fans. This is no small achievement; many artists struggle to maintain their unique voice while reaching for broader appeal, often losing what made them special in the first place.
The album’s cultural significance extends beyond its immediate merits. At a time when Afrobeats is experiencing unprecedented global success, Savage reminds us that the genre’s power lies not simply in its commercial appeal but in its ability to transform pain into celebration, struggle into movement, individual stories into universal truths. MELÖVIA serves as a personal statement and a cultural document, capturing a specific moment in time while addressing themes that transcend temporal boundaries.
This is an album for late-night dreamers and early-morning hustlers, for anyone who has ever looked in the mirror and decided to bet on themselves despite the odds. It speaks to the universal experience of trying to maintain authenticity in a world that often rewards conformity, of striving for success without losing sight of what made that success worth pursuing in the first place. The music demands to be played loud, whether in a Lagos nightclub pulsing with weekend energy or a Brooklyn apartment where someone is chasing their version of the dream.
In the context of Savage’s discography, MELÖVIA represents both culmination and beginning. It builds on the foundation established by Utopia and That Uzere Boy while pointing toward even greater possibilities. This feels like the work of an artist who has found his voice and learned to trust it completely, someone ready to take the risks necessary for true artistic growth.
MELÖVIA confirms Savage is here to stay, armed with the kind of vision that can sustain a long and meaningful career. The music industry is demonstrably richer for it, and listeners lucky enough to discover this album will find themselves returning to it again and again, uncovering new layers of meaning with each encounter. This is the album that rewards both immediate gratification and long-term exploration.
