King of Queens (album)

Background and composition

Work on the album started in 2013 and continued through the third quarter of 2014. In May 2014, Effyzzie Music Group revealed the album's title and told Nigeria Entertainment Today that it would be released in July 2014. On September 9, 2014, The Daily Times of Nigeria reported that the album would be released in September.

On King of Queens, Yemi Alade explores various genre of music including reggae, R&B and afropop. She explores her versatility on "Why", a slow tempo reggae track. Yemi Alade infuses her personality on "Pose". "Duro Timi" is a R&B song with a pop undertone. On the slow cuddle "Catch You", Yemi Alade creates sexual rhythm and raps towards the end. "Money" is a reincarnation of "Johnny". Hausa vibes are included on "I Like". "Sugar" is an electropop song, while "Fall in Love" is a ballad that pays tribute to R&B of the 80s.

Singles

On October 14, 2013, Effyzzie Music Group released "Johnny" as the album's lead single. The song was produced by Selebobo. The music video for the song was uploaded onto Yemi Alade's Vevo channel on March 3, 2014. The video was directed in Ogun State by Clarence Peters and features cameo appearances from Bovi, Alexx Ekubo and Beverly Osu. The French version of the song, released on May 20, 2014, was included as a bonus on the album. By releasing the song, Yemi Alade became the first Nigerian musician to release a song entirely performed in French.

On April 14, 2014, Yemi Alade released "Tangerine" as the second single off the album. The song was also produced by Selebobo. The music video for the song was also directed by Clarence Peters. It was uploaded onto Vevo on July 8, 2014. Prior to releasing the video, Effyzzie Music Group unveiled footage and shots from the video shoot. On September 10, 2014, "Kissing" was released as the album's third single. The song, which is a groovy mid-tempo love song, was produced by Fliptyce. On October 16, 2014, Effyzzie Music Group released the music video for "Kissing" which was directed by Sesan in London.

"Taking over Me" was released as the album's fourth single. Its music video was directed by Justin Campos and Taiye Aliyu. On March 13, 2015, Yemi Alade released the album's fifth single titled "Temperature". The song features vocals from British-Nigerian singer DIL. The accompanying music video for "Temperature" was directed by Ovié Étseyatsé. "Duro Timi" was released as the album's sixth single. Its music video was shot and directed in London by Ova.

Critical reception

King of Queens received generally mixed reviews from music critics. Ayomide Tayo of Pulse gave the album 3.5 out of 5 stars, stating: "With the her first album, she shows that she is the royal highness at stamping her authority on so many genres. She is king at crafting local pop tracks and delivering slow love songs with a regal glow. On King Of Queens, Yemi Alade lays her musical kingdom on the map with beauty, sweetness, and confidence." Al Yhusuff and Jim Donnett gave the album 3 stars, adding that "Is Yemi Alade truly a King of Queens? It’s not a bad debut to be very fair but Yemi not only looks like she’s got better stuff to give, she’s actually given better stuff in the past. Pressures and some careless choices might have swayed a couple of decisions on #KOQ."

Accolades

King of Queens was nominated for Best R&B/Pop Album and Album of the Year at The Headies 2015. The album was also nominated for Album of the Year at the 2015 Nigeria Entertainment Awards.

Track listing

Personnel

Credits adapted from the back cover of King of Queens.