Shaqdi – Daydreaming

We’ve now had plenty of time to listen to Shaqdi’s latest release, her EP Daydreaming. It is safe to say Shaqdi stays true to her signature sound. Five of the tracks were already familiar, released as single tracks. The two new tracks stay in the same line – neo-soul with some futuristic flavour.

As always, Shaqdi’s voice is amazingly sweet and warm. Which works perfectly with the mellow beats and occasional futuristic visits. More than anything, this EP makes me want to sit down in front of the fire and drink a hot cup of tea. Because it’s overall a very satisfying listen. Smooth and relaxing, which seems to fit well into time. With people constantly finding new ways to relax and even escape from an otherwise stressful reality. And what better way to escape reality than with some playfulness?

Shaqdi has rocked the two side braids before. But putting them upwards in the EP cover just seems inevitably more playful. Or maybe it’s just me who can’t unsee Astrid Lindgren’s Pippi Longstocking? Either way, playful seems like the one right word for this EP.

Every song has it’s own music video. 5 Days is undoubtedly the most aesthetic video. But in all her videos, I’d love to see some more of her emotional expressions. Sometimes they seem to shine through in her live video Predictable unconsciously. But it almost seems like Shaqdi is holding back as if to pose a character. If so, I’d say she’s doing herself a disservice. Though it might only be a matter of taste!

If any of the tracks popped up on the radio, I’d turn it up and groove! But unfortunately, I don’t find it memorable enough that I’d look for it. On the other hand, there might be nothing wrong with that. Some enjoyable background music to chill to. But I doubt that this is the goal. And if it were, there would be a lot of competition in the lo-fi beats-movement as well as ASMR. If she were to experiment a bit more in the futuristic front or occasionally change the dynamics in her voice – there could be magic!

To me, Velcro is the most unstable track, as Shaqdi’s and Billy Got Waves’ voices are completely incompatible in this type of mixing. But 5 Days stands out as the best track, and the best example of the exact potential I’m speaking of. Here, she is at her most playful in composition, lyrics and video.