Rising to fame as DMW’s latest female signee, with a feature on track 3 of Davido’s Timeless Album, In the Garden, Morravey returns with her official debut Ep, Ravi. Morravey’s comeback has been long awaited as her sonic delivery on In the Garden gained her a truckload of fans who have been anticipating at least a single from her. Taking her time to compose each track off the EP with intentionality, Morravey’s musical quintessence is wrapped all over each of the five tracks off Ravi.
In conversation with Morravey, she revealed Ravi was born out of the zeal to showcase her oddity, “I wanted to be versatile. I didn’t want to sound like anybody. I was challenging my creative spirit for the EP.” The testament of Morravey’s vision for Ravi is undeniably evident via the five tracks.
Morravey pours out her heart in Track 1, What is Love, which explores the intricacies of defining love on personal terms and leaves us asking ourselves, what really is love? She revealed that, vocally, this was the most challenging track for her to create.
High Again, the second track off the EP was in fact a last-minute song according to Morravey. The aim was to create a song that sounded different from the other tracks on the EP. At this juncture of release, it’s no doubt that High Again is the icing on Ravi’s cake.
An indigene of Port Harcourt who takes pride in the various ways the city has influenced her music, Morravey whips up our dancing energy with the third track, Kondo, a melodious synergy of the acclaimed PH vibes and Morravey’s artistic continuum.
My Baby is a fusion of light emotions. It started with playing around the beat, which progressed to songwriting, and finally turned out to be the fourth track off Ravi. My Baby is a song that urges you to let your emotions loose.
Magician, the only track off Ravi with a guest feature, is dear to Morravey’s heart. Driving for peculiarity, she worked hand in hand with Davido to achieve a rhythmic masterpiece signifying the degree of Magician’s eccentricity.
On art being an extension of self, Morravey’s music is sometimes imbued with real life encounters synchronised to create euphonious tunes. Off Ravi, What is love, High Again, Magician were inspired by real tales and Morravey’s stance on certain subjects. For instance, what is love emerged from Morravey’s experiences regarding love and how genuine love stories are hard to come by these days. “What Is Love is self-explanatory. It’s there in the lyrics. The first line is, ‘I’ve been searching for the feeling, heartbroken, burning bridges every season’. This generation does not practice Jesus’ love again. It’s different now.”
High Again is a song about hope and conviction. It is a reminder that everything good will eventually find a base regardless of how dreary a situation may feel. It is also an element of gratitude. An acknowledgement of Morravey’s success so far, “High Again was talking about how things may not be going well, but I’m chill, I’m good, I’m living better than I used to.”
For Morravey, Magician is a prognostication of her current life and the future ahead. It embodies the unraveling of Morravey’s diegesis just like a movie. Magician is a tale, a testimony, and a divination in one tune. It is Morravey’s declaration of artistic blessings to come. “Magician talks about my life. It’s talking about me, how I got signed, how everything happened and what is going to happen. It’s like a prophecy, a story.”
It is no news that Morravey attracted Davido’s attention when the DMW record label boss and owner came across Morravey’s viral video on TikTok. He proceeded to sign her under his label, and coupled with a feature on Davido’s Timeless, Morravey became an overnight sensation.
Fame can be demanding and tasking. Easily luring artists to become another version of themselves in a bid to appeal to the public. Morravey affirms feeling pressured at certain times but acknowledges that it has impacted her positively. The pressure is Morravey’s cue to accept change for growth to occur.
Another positive influence of fame on Morravey’s creative process is the accessibility to more resources and a body of people coming together to ensure Morravey becomes a household name.
Prior to signing her record deal with DMW, she was paddling the ocean as a one-man team, having to do almost every bit of work by herself, “There’s been a lot of growth from before I was signed till now because I’m no longer working alone towards getting myself known. Now, some people are pushing for the growth of Morravey. There’s a body supporting me. I know there are people I have to make proud. I’m not depending on myself anymore. That’s the main thing.”
The power of community cannot be denied in the many ways it eases off the workload on a person. Morravey’s team is amplifying her efforts with fierce support and providing companionship alongside, “Knowing that I have a backing feels different because I know I’m not alone like I was before.”
Morravey elucidates her creative process. Spirituality is her creative catalyst. She reveals that she prays to God before starting work in any form. “First off, I pray before recording any of my songs.”
Discussing further on her creative process, she disclosed experiencing a creative block a month into creating Ravi which caused her to pause production, but eventually, with prayers, discipline and collective effort from her team, Morravey overcame.
Speaking about the future, Morravey tells the world to expect versatility that’ll transcend even her limits. She’s confident in God and herself to traverse the hurdle of static creativity, “Expect versatility from Morravey because I’m with God, I’m not moving with man. It’s going to be a whole different ball game. I’m going to do amazing things. I wouldn’t even believe some of the things I would do.”
Morravey ends the conversation with parting words of encouragement for artists hankering for a big break in the music industry. Emphasizing how preparedness is the only way to utilise opportunities, Morravey urges upcoming artists to continue striving for greatness, “If you’re asking God for rain, get an umbrella. Show God you are prepared for what you want him to give you. That’s one part of it. The second part is to not give up. You don’t know how close you are to your miracle. Don’t stop. Keep on pushing. Keep on improving yourself, and believe that you’re going to get there. You are going to make yourself proud and be happy at the end of the day.”