The Quietly Devastating Storytelling Genius of Dwin, The Stoic

The concert—an event put together by Kuda, happened three days ago—and I still can’t stop thinking about the experience. Often, when I am in the shower or checking something on my phone or doing something for work, I find myself singing Ifunanyam, thinking about a lover I once had. Maybe it was how emotionally resonant it was. Maybe it was because of its simplicity. Its promise of reconnecting with lost love. But it was this song, out of all the remarkably brilliant songs Dwin sang at the concert, that stayed with me the longest. It has been two days since the concert and it has refused to leave my heart.

Dwin handled the stage with expertise. Carrying everyone along. Giving room for each song he performed to linger in our hearts before easing us into the next.  Asking us how we were feeling from time to time. Telling us a little bit about each song before entering his flow state. As a storyteller, I recognize his selflessness and his need to be empathetic, to create an intimate experience for the concert. These songs carry weight. They tell stories that touch places in your heart that mere words cannot reach. And so he understands that most of us, his fans, at the concert, have at one point in our lives, lived the lives of the characters in his songs. We needed to be carefully carried in order to follow the journey of his emotionally resonant stories.

Dwin is a storyteller. His lyrics are memorable and evocative. His songs demand that you feel. That you notice. That you remember a distant memory. It unfurls you. His songs are simply enthralling. When we merge all these with his vocal dexterity, his poetic lyrics, his storytelling style, then you begin to realize that each of his song is a masterpiece. Expertly written and curated with an intention to fiddle with the strings of your soul the way a violinist fiddles with the strings of a violin.

In Of Us, Dwin tells a story of a lover reminiscing on the failed promise of forever. The lover calls out the blatant lie of the promise made. This was an electrifying performance. The crowd paused to take it in. And this was when I noticed how simple Dwin’s lyrics are, easy for his fans to pick up, and sing along like they had written the song. As a writer I must tell you how difficult it is to write simple sentences. I must tell you that you have to be a genius in order to consistently string words together that are both simple and complex. Simple to understand and follow. Complex for the subject matter explored. And the musical instruments were carefully chosen to bring us to the climax of every performance. I must not forget his team; of young and vibrant musicians. The night was a perfectly splendid night.

When he started singing Allez, I lost it. I wanted to lose my composure and dance. But while I am good at many things, dancing isn’t one of them. Dwin sang French like he spoke it as a second language. And this was one thing that was worth noting, how he infused other languages into his songs. Like in Ifunanyam. Like in Steady. In Allez, Dwin tells the story of two people who meet in Belgium one night. They dance. They fall in love. They hold onto happiness until the love goes away. Soon, the woman is asking the man to give them another chance and the man is saying, Allez, Allez, Allez which in French means, Go, Go, Go. He refuses. Telling her how difficult it is to lose love. That the hurt doesn’t leave. The story is sad and one shouldn’t dance to it but the song demands your feet and body to move. 

Pack Your Load had the audience up on their feet. The energy changed. The ambiance changed. Even Dwin did a little dance at the end. It was one song I played on repeat when it first came out in the Heavy Heart album. What do you ask of a lover who breaks your heart than peace of mind?

There’s so much to say about that night and I cannot simply say everything. But I can say this: it was simply an unforgettable experience and I will not hesitate to attend another concert before the year comes to an end. May the rest of the year bring us another room, another stage, and another set of songs that continue to move us.