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Holly Afoa - EP Review: Sister

11 May 2020 // A review by Corinne Rutherford

Auckland based Neo-Soul singer/songwriter Holly Afoa has recently released her debut EP Sister. Five tracks of soulful, heartfelt music. Each song on Sister is dedicated to a significant woman who has made an impact in Holly’s life, good and bad.

Ex Round Buddha member from 2016 -2019, Holly Afoa has been described as a Neo-soul powerhouse. Sister shines the light firmly on her solo achievement.

This is a very tasty smooth offering. Packed with emotion and raw honesty. Sister has rich velvety tones with plenty of depth and feeling.

Holly Afoa has a stunning voice, perfectly suited to funk/soul/blues; her sound is reminiscent of Hollie Smith. Pure melodies flow throughout each track with the title track Sister giving a strong indication of the strength behind the lyrics. There is intensity in her song writing which is equally matched by her opulent vocals.

Released on first May during C-19 lockdown, Holly celebrated her solo debut EP in isolation with a glass of wine and tofu stir-fry.

Rating: ( 5 / 5 )
 

About Holly Afoa

Like anyone in their mid-20’s, Holly is confused, restless, mostly sad and sometimes extremely happy. When she’s not writing about loving someone who “burns her edges” she’s soaking up the sun and singing her own praises for wasting time. You never know what emotion Holly will embody next but you can always expect a fine representation of it.

In 2016 Holly joined soul/hip-hop collective Round Buddah who helped open up a rabbit hole of writing inspiration - everything from love, sex and marijuana to global warming… Round Buddah was spoilt for choice on topics. Not long after, Holly teamed up with Berlin-based producer Less Is More delivering funky-jazz tune Waste My Time, her first solo venture. She went on to collaborate with hip-hop beat maker, Cam Cranston, producing lo-fi, R&B tune Forget You (ft. DSCNDNT), a stark contrast from the funky basslines of Waste My Time. Fitting into a “box” seemed far gone but after intense deliberation with her dark, scary mind Holly decided to put her energy into a neo-soul-esque-ish project, gathering some of the best session musicians life could find.

A few singles and an EP later, Round Buddah decided to focus on their solo projects and disbanded in 2019. Holly released her debut EP Sister on May 1st 2020, celebrating in isolation with a glass of wine and a tofu stir fry.

Visit the muzic.net.nz Profile for Holly Afoa

Releases

Sister
Year: 2020
Type: EP

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