lordkez Invites Us Into a Love Story Reimagined in You, Me and the 90s

South African genre-defier lordkez is taking us on an emotional time warp with her latest EP, You, Me and the 90s — a soulful, nostalgic, and intimate body of work that feels like paging through a love diary soundtracked by cassette tapes and cordless phones. And at the heart of it all is the lead single, Aweh — a throwback anthem with a heartbeat of basslines and romantic memory.

“Aweh is like the first date,” lordkez explains, her voice laced with excitement and reflection. “The sounds and basslines in Aweh, within the first 30 seconds, take you back. We did that intentionally, because Aweh also means ‘hello’ or ‘what’s up’. It’s the welcome into this new world I created through this project.”

A Love Letter in Song: The Story Behind Aweh

Drawing from her own rare but memorable first-date experiences, Aweh captures that butterflies-in-your-stomach thrill of new love. The imagery is vivid: being picked up from your mother’s house, the nervous excitement of dressing up, and the smooth voice of Michael Jackson playing in the background. It’s a romantic snapshot of a bygone era — sweet, simple, and deeply evocative.

That sense of longing and reflection carries beautifully into the next track, Trap Phone.

Trap Phone: A Love/Hate Anthem With 90s Realness

Trap Phone is a standout not just for its lush sonic palette, but for its emotional honesty. “Honestly, I think this is the best song I’ve ever made,” lordkez admits. “It’s a yearning song. Back in the 90s, you’d wait until 6pm just to receive a call on a landline. It’s that anticipation — the want.”

Lyrically, it toes the line between vulnerability and independence. “When you decide to call, I don’t hesitate to answer,” she sings, revealing the push-pull dynamic of young love: desire mixed with defiance.

Love City: Paris, Pain and the Phone That Didn’t Ring

Written during a tour stop in Paris with Mi Casa, Love City captures the irony of feeling unloved in the City of Love. “All I wanted to do was be on the phone with this boy,” she says, laughing. “He wasn’t answering. I was like, damn, this is crazy — I’m in Paris, feeling so unloved.”

The song, drenched in delicate vulnerability, tells a story of disappointment with poetic clarity. It’s a reminder that love doesn’t always show up where you expect it to.

One Way Ticket: Happy Breakup Pop

One Way Ticket marks a tonal shift — the EP’s honeymoon phase ends, and reality sets in. “It’s about knowing something isn’t going to work out, but still choosing it because you see the potential in it,” lordkez shares.

The track is catchy, melancholic, and unapologetically honest — a “happy breakup song” that balances pop and R&B in perfect measure.

Boogie: The Art of Letting Go and Dancing Through It

Where One Way Ticket is introspective, Boogie is pure liberation. “This is the phase where you decide you don’t want to be held down,” lordkez says. “You just want to get up and boogie.”

Inspired by her childhood obsession with Michael Jackson, Boogie channels Boogie Nights energy and Liberian Girl magic. It’s fun, freeing, and finally gives fans a dancefloor-ready track from the artist known more for moody minimalism.

The Ballad That Isn’t — And the Project’s Core Essence

As the EP winds down, the penultimate track captures what lordkez describes as “the essence of what love feels like — exciting, new, juicy and colourful.” But even this ballad-like song resists traditional definitions. “It’s a love song, right? But it’s also not!” she says.

With layered strings, rich harmonies, and a nostalgic flair, the track cements the project’s central message: love has many faces — some tender, some tough, but all worth exploring.

A Post-Testament Evolution

Coming off her SAMA-winning project Testament, You, Me and the 90s is a bold yet grounded evolution for lordkez. It’s playful without losing depth, nostalgic without being derivative, and emotionally mature without losing the rawness of youth.

“This project is a bit of a flex,” she says with a smile. “Many of these songs are firsts for me. But I’ve never felt more at home creatively. It’s the type of music I grew up listening to.”

With You, Me and the 90s, lordkez isn’t just revisiting the past — she’s rewriting it through her own lens. From first-date jitters to the sting of missed calls, from happy breakups to carefree dance nights, every track is a chapter in a love story that feels personal and collective all at once.

Whether you lived through the 90s or are just discovering its magic, lordkez’s latest offering is an invitation: to remember, to feel, and maybe, just maybe — to fall in love again.