Rising artist MARENIKAE is proud to announce the release of her latest single, “Smooth Operator”. The track is a testimony to the many hours of hard work and dedication that she put into writing it. It is featured on the upcoming album “Smooth Operator,” which is a fun and colorful genre slam, as Afroprop meets brash attitude. The song urges the listener to be true to whatever their “butter” is. With its smooth tempo and catchy lyrics, it is sure to be a major hit!

MARENIKAE is a native of Nigeria, where she began writing original songs and poetry as early as age fourteen. Her approach to songwriting has stemmed from a fascination with spoken word poetry. MARENIKAE credits listening to great orators as the key to perfecting her songwriting skills. Musically, her beats and rhythms have been inspired by the diversity created by her background as a Nigerian. She pulls inspiration both from Nigerian artists like 9ice, Dare Art-Alade, and styl-plus, while also being influenced by more Western artists like Daughtry, Backstreet Boys, and Freddy Mercury. The end result is AFROMERGE, a blend of her beloved Nigerian Rhythms and neo soul with electronic and AC nuances, laced with a whole lot of attitude.

“Smooth Operator” is a perfect example of this style. Like the rest of the album, MARENIKAE admits that the album was inspired by her fellow Nigerians, “it’s kind of an ode to our arrogance…it’s pretty much a song bigging up your style and how you carry yourself.” Being an AJEBUTTER means to be “bougie,” or fancy. It is one of three singles released ahead of “AJEBUTTER”. MARENIKAE has also released “Remember” and “GIDI”. Fans of “Smooth Operator” can also look forward to the release of a full-length music video sometime next year!

In addition to its significance as MARINEKAE’s debut album, the release of “AJEBUTTER” will also represent another important milestone in the young artist’s career. “AJEBUTTER” is the first full length release of The Zuchia Nexus, the record label created by MARENIKAE. The label was founded with the hopes of bringing together international producers, songwriters, and artists to support each other while exchanging ideas and cross promoting cultural influence. With the release of “AJEBUTTER”, the label grows closer towards achieving its goal by highlighting an artist who represents such a vibrant mix of cultural and musical influences. Fans of MARINEKAE will be excited to know that the album is scheduled for release on February 13^th, 2018!

“Smooth Operator” is AVAILABLE NOW!
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