{"id":2031544,"date":"2025-09-18T12:29:13","date_gmt":"2025-09-18T12:29:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2031544"},"modified":"2025-09-18T12:29:13","modified_gmt":"2025-09-18T12:29:13","slug":"best-new-music-maya-amolo-is-at-her-most-assertive-on-hocus-pocus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/best-new-music-maya-amolo-is-at-her-most-assertive-on-hocus-pocus\/","title":{"rendered":"Best New Music: Maya Amolo Is At Her Most Assertive On \u201cHocus Pocus\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n At just under two minutes, Amolo manages to make \u201cHocus Pocus\u201d the most seductive offering on ‘The Sweetest Time,’ as she sings of herself like a dangerous enchantress <\/p>\n

\n Written by Boluwatife Adeyemi<\/a> – 18.Sep.2025 <\/div>\n

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In the challenging landscape of mid-2020, as the world adjusted to the pandemic-induced lockdown, Maya Amolo made her delicate introduction to a jaded and hemmed-in audience with <\/span>\u2018Leave Me At The Pregame,\u2019<\/span><\/i> a 7-track EP that exuded a striking poignancy and melancholy that was fit for the times. The project was immediately well received, <\/span>shooting<\/span><\/a> up the No. 1 spot on Kenya\u2019s Apple Music R&B charts shortly after its release.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In the years that followed, Amolo continued to establish herself as one of Kenya\u2019s most promising rising stars, releasing her impressive debut album <\/span>\u2018Asali,<\/span><\/i>\u2019 and an equally sturdy deluxe version, which highlighted her clever songwriting skills and minimalist take on R&B. It wasn\u2019t, however, until 2024\u2019s <\/span>\u2018What A Feeling,\u2019<\/span><\/i> that she truly began to show some dynamism, exploring a few Dance subgenres that gave her music a more effervescent edge.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In an <\/span>interview<\/span><\/a> from earlier in the year, Amolo revealed how her home city, Nairobi, inspired much of <\/span>\u2018What A Feeling.\u2019<\/span><\/i> \u2018So much of how I\u2019ve been experiencing Nairobi has been through nightlife, and with What a Feeling, I wanted to make an album that shows that.\u2019 Cuts like the House-inspired <\/span>\u201cLet It Flow\u201d<\/b> and the self-produced title track, both of which bubble with hedonistic fervour, capture the vibrancy of a city that comes alive after sundown while also highlighting Amolo\u2019s desire to explore sonically.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On her latest album, <\/span>\u2018The Sweetest Time,\u2019<\/span><\/i> she dedicates a few more numbers to this exploration, showcasing versatility and, perhaps more importantly, a desire to grow artistically. The album\u2019s highlight, <\/span>\u201cHocus Pocus,\u201d<\/b> comes as a result of this exploration, taking inspiration from Brazil\u2019s Baile Funk to create something refreshing and infectious.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n