Alicai Harley says that she lives by the motto “we all have the same amount of hours in a day as Beyoncé”, to remind herself to put her all into everything.
While this mantra is in the same class of novelty mug-ready cliché’s as “if Britney can make it through 2007 you can make it through today”, in this recently released freestyle, the newcomer somehow manages to upgrade a Destiny’s Child classic – which is no easy feat.
This interpolation of “So Good” from The Writing’s on the Wall gathered some momentum online in late December, mostly because of the way she oscillates between soulful vocals and slick bars is so catchy. The only thing wrong with it is that it’s only a minute and a half long. Initially released on Instagram and Twitter, she said the song is “spiced with” influences from recently released dancehall legend Buju Banton who was jailed for seven years. Her caption read “welcome home king”.
The Kingston-born and London-based artist is garnering attention for her already impressive body of work, namely her recent single “Proper Paper”. She rounded off her year by being tipped as one-to-watch by Apple Music presenter Julie Adenuga, and can also now count Dizzee Rascal as another of her fans.
To get the hype, watch the clip below.