Prince Oti shows off sonic dynamism on new tune “Amara Ya”

By Emmanuel Daraloye

Music is an old art form. When you ask people to define music or how it makes them feel, it takes a while, for some, they even find it difficult to execute this task. In Nigeria, there have been situations whereby non-English types of songs make waves.

In the early 2000s, songs from Awilo Longomba (Congolese singer and composer) dominated the airwave, while the people didn’t understand the language he sang, they joyously dwelled in his sound.

I was in the same thought process this afternoon while I was listening to “Amara Ya,” by Prince Oti. The brilliant song which is a mix of Igbo and English finds me in an excited mind frame, although I don’t speak Igbo, however, the artiste’s vocal inflection, mannerism, breath control, and
the sonic expression of the artiste wowed me.

For close to twelve minutes, Prince Oti brilliantly takes the listeners through a myriad of emotions. From admiration to worship to submission, with the help of instrumentals like shakers, baseline, guitar line, and more. They help to shore up the message of this song.

The song is a call to action. “Amara Ya” which means “His Grace is Sufficient” in English Language finds Prince Oti shepherding the listeners through his life Voyage. They are relatable tales that serve as conduit for praise and worship, it subtly elicits everyone to join him in this adventure. It is that beautiful.

Amarachukwu Oti aka Prince Oti who is a well-known gospel artiste already made some appearances in Nigeria and the United Kingdom. Although he is an internationally trained Lawyer with expertise in FinTech, he derives so much joy in singing. He is also a volunteer at North Church, Leeds serving at the worship team.

On this song, he brings his close to two decades of experience to bear. For someone who has served as a Music Director, Praise & Worship Leader/Choir Coordinator. A converner of an annual concert tagged Gratitude which he has consistently hosted for seven years and featured other singers in Nigeria and in the United Kingdom. Prince Oti has also shared the stage with some Gospel artists like Victoria Orenze, Elijah Oyelade, Victor Thompson, Tonneil Avo, etc.

Prince Oti’s attention to detail is intimidating. He is so well-versed in his craft that it becomes less noticeable when the backup singer makes a little mistake. Being a live recording, the little mishaps in this recording are forgiven, however, a more cleaner and clearer mixing and mastering would have set things in proper perspective.

“Amara Ya,” is an excellent artistic release that shows Prince Oti’s dynamism as an artiste, it exhibits his prowess as a songwriter and also his vocal dexterity. At the end of the spin, it is clear why it has been streamed close to ten thousand times across all digital streaming platforms.