Rising British-Ghanaian soul star Nectar Woode unveils her most stirring work to date with new single and video “Only Happen”, which premiered on BBC Radio 1 with Jack Saunders last night. The track is a bold statement of intent — co-written and produced by Jordan Rakei, and accompanied by a visually poetic video directed by Marco Grey (Lil Simz, Michael Kiwanuka, Ezra Collective). “Only Happen” showcases Nectar’s emotionally resonant voice in a raw and uncluttered form, and an introduction to a striking new voice in British soul voice. “Tryna make me disappear, I swear I heard it all before,” Nectar sings over sparse keys — her delivery exuding quiet power and aching clarity. It’s no wonder Elton John is a fan, recently praising Nectar as “reminding him of Nina Simone” on his Rocket Hour show. And while comparisons to greats like Lauryn Hill and Lianne La Havas continue to follow her, Nectar’s voice — in both tone and intention — is unmistakably her own.
Nectar Woode is performing at Gent Jazz on Monday the 14th of July.