Tetu Shani’s Intimate And Playful EP Is A Celebratory Yet Melancholic Ode To Love

Award-winning Kenyan artist Tetu Shani ropes us in with his enlivening debut album Just Because We Fight Doesn’t Mean We’re Broken, (JBWFDMWB) taking us on a journey of love through the unconventional sound of alternative pop.

The lengthy title encompasses the reality that all relationships often undergo. Whereas conflict is usually deemed a negative aspect in relationships, Tetu puts a positive twist on it and emphasizes the idea that friction does not reflect the legitimacy of one’s relationship and therefore should not be treated with such gravity.

This six track EP explores the plethora of emotions that are imminent throughout the different phases of one (or several) relationship(s) – feelings of happiness, insecurity, reminiscing, detachment and upset are all subtly, yet effectively highlighted throughout this musical project.

In the opening track Don’t Wanna Be Your Boyfriend, Tetu addresses his romantic sentiments toward his assumed partner, where he sings about his being “addicted to [her] touch and smile”. This implies the idea of an intimate relationship, which is immediately dissolved through the reiteration of the lyrics “but I don’t wanna be your boyfriend no no”, making it clear that this is more likely the notorious yet unenvied case of friends with benefits.

This storyline is somewhat continued within the second track, Heart Matters, where Tetu seems to be in a constant battle with himself as he cannot remain content with what he presently has and must search for something newer and fresher than before. This poses the idea that one cannot remain satisfied within a committed relationship. He sings about liking “Martha's neck… Olive's little pretty feet… Wanja's hair… Fridah's lips and pearly teeth” and therefore remains frustrated that his indecision subsequently means his needs cannot be met.

The third track – Just Because We Fight is a fragment of the title where Tetu delves into the causes of friction within a relationship and the importance of reconciliation in mending the connection and allowing lovers to bond further.

We Know, is the fourth and my personal favourite track, that elucidates the feeling of monotony that can occur in relationships. Opening with soulful strings and Lisa’s background vocals, Tetu discusses the cyclical nature of “walking round the same old streets we know, hanging round the same old people we know” highlighting the ache for a change and reminiscing for a time when it once felt new and fresh.

The fifth track, Watch Out, is dedicated to toxic cycles in relationships that are often difficult to get out of and have the tendency to bring out the worst in people. In this case it turns Tetu into the “king of petty” and his partner into a “drama queen”. However, instead of looking for methods to break out of this cycle, he seems to affirm and even submit to its inevitability and even tells his partner not to fight it, instead to indulge in the game.

Tetu closes his EP on a sad note with the track Don’t Know Me At All where he claims that his lover doesn’t “know [him] at all” yet without using an accusatory tone fully as he, doesn’t love himself and is therefore not interested in taking time to self-explore his more intimate parts.

Accompanied by the incredible Kenyan producers M³ (M-cubed) and Trevor Magak, backing vocals of the talented Kenyan singer Lisa Oduor-Noah and finally instrumentalist Tugi Mlamba, Tetu effectively utilises these as vices for his storytelling.