I Want to Feel Your Love

With its glossy sound, upbeat disco rhythms, and bright, joyful vocals, Oby Onyioha’s I Want to Feel your Love is the perfect reflection of Nigeria in the early 80s: confident, full of optimism, and high off an oil boom and a new democratic government after years of military dictatorship. It’s also the sound of a modern, educated woman, claiming her place in the world and exhorting others to do the same: “It’s no sin, girl (to enjoy your life)/When no one else can hurt yeah (have your fun)/Interchange now (enjoy your life)/Before you find it’s too late (to have a ball)” she sings over a funky synth bass and dazzling strings.