UK-based Nigerian producer Lekaa Beats links up with Port Harcourt singer Omah Lay and rising Afrobeats act Fola on a smooth new record titled “Pretty Messed Up.” Lekaa already built chemistry with Omah Lay on their earlier “Angels” collaboration, so this reunion felt like a matter of when rather than if.
Omah Lay has been in a productive stretch this year following his second album “Clarity of Mind,” and this feature slots neatly into a period where he’s been saying yes to the right collaborations. Fola has been building her own fanbase steadily, and sharing a record with Omah Lay at this point in her career is exactly the kind of placement that moves the needle.
Lekaa handles production with the same atmospheric instinct that carried “Angels,” leaning on warm chords, understated percussion, and a mid-tempo groove that stays out of the way of the vocals. The mix breathes well, giving both featured artists enough space to work without the beat crowding either performance.
Omah Lay delivers with his signature emotional rawness, the kind of confessional singing that has made records like “Soso” and “Bad Influence” stick with people long after first listen. He rides the vulnerability of the title rather than deflecting from it, and that honesty gives the record its emotional anchor.
Fola then comes in with a softer, more melodic touch that complements rather than competes. Her voice adds a different emotional layer to the record, pulling “Pretty Messed Up” into even more intimate territory than Omah Lay’s verse alone would have reached.
As a complete Afrobeats record, “Pretty Messed Up” works because Lekaa Beats trusts his collaborators enough to let the emotions lead.
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