Since Skales released 2020’s introspective Healing Process, the singer and rapper has settled into a new phase of his career marked by self-appreciation, healing, and love after using the pandemic era project to critically examine the trade-offs and choices that had helped him become a fixture of Nigerian popular music over a two-decade span where he went from boy wonder to icon in his own right. Most of what Skales has worked on in the intervening years has been a deft mixture of his signature vivid pop anthems, cross-continental collaborations, and contemplative soul-inflected offerings.
In a remarkable showing of his resilience, last year’s Proof of Life EP was reintroduced as a star still capable of engaging with the heart of Afropop as he smoothly glided over suave instrumentals while providing timely life updates across seven uplifting tracks.
To kick off his 2024, Skales has teamed up with one of 2023’s breakout stars, Spyro, for a remix of a Proof of Life standout track, “I Still Dey.” Carrying over from the theme of the original song, the remix of “I Still Dey” showcases Skales’ staying power and all that he has had to overcome to secure his place in the Afropop canon.
In keeping with Skales’s evolution since the Healing Process, the singer does not sound callow or dismissive of the betrayal he’s faced across his career. He sounds euphoric and excited about what comes next as he rides the wave of the log drums and twinkling key to pass his message over the amapiano-inspired Jaysynth instrumental. Skales is also quick to ascribe all his successes to God in no uncertain terms.
Staying true to the theme of “I Still Dey,” Spyro reflects on his journey to breakthrough in 2023, recounting the days of hoping to make a mark with music on his groovy verse that compliments Skales’ sung-rap flow as the duo starts the new year on a positive note with a message of renewed upliftment.
