Having first turned heads with 2019 singles, ‘Morning Blue' and 'I Like Trouble', Netherlands-based, Sudanese songstress, Gaidaa, has delivered another sumptuous R&B number.
Carried by a rhythmic, echoey bass and a catchy vocal melody that sync together in perfect union in the chorus, ‘Falling Higher’ sees the young singer at her absolute best. Produced by Sam Trax, the song draws in elements from the neo-soul of the late nineties and early 2000s championed by the likes of Erykah Badu and Jill Scott. That’s not to say that the track feels derivative or dated. It’s grounded in the best elements of a sub-genre that naturally lends itself to rich, deep sound, while still maintaining the light, carefree and almost ethereal sonic styling that put her on the industry’s radar last year.
The video, meanwhile, is nothing short of an absolute joy. Few of the above adjectives would lead anyone to 8-bit video game visuals, but there’s something inexplicably ‘right’ about it. Directed by Yousra Elbagir with visuals by Marwan on the Moon, it follows a little video game Gaidaa traversing an arcade world, starting at street level and eventually reaching the moon, collecting gold coins and microphones along the way. There's no particular reason why it would work. It just does.
