Only 18 years old and hailing from Essex singer/songwriter Highlyy infuses her Congolese culture by enriching her new single ‘Soldier’.

Highly transitions smoothly from English to French and Yoruba simultaneously cultivating her own unique voice against a catchy afrobeat riddim.

On the track, Highlyy creates a safe space for herself to unburden, singing about dealing with the pressure and the isolation felt with being the one who everyone goes to. She also touches on the struggle of holding onto her dreams.

Highlyy says, “This song means so much to me. I wrote it at 3am when I was going through a hard time in my life. Music was the only thing that was keeping me going, so this felt like a prayer to make it out and have a shot at pursuing my dreams”.

Featuring UK artist Tion Wayne who is known for versatility to express himself on Grime, Drill, Afrobeat and rap beats we see the Edmonton rapper revert back to the early 2016/17 Tion flow where he melodically flows over the beat talking about street life, violence and attention from social media pages. But it also relates to Highlyy as he “carries the weight of the block on his shoulder.”

The track first caught attention on Tik Tok as a 15-second clip but due to demand for a full-length version, Highlyy decided to release it.

[Intro: Highlyy]

See I carry my hustle for my shoulder
Olorun ma jekin ri ibanuje
I’m a one-man soldier (Oh, oh, oh)
‘Cause if money no dey no ma-ma kan’ran
So even if you don’t do it for me, do it for my brothers (Oh, oh, oh)

[Chorus: Highlyy]

See I carry my hustle for my shoulder
Olorun ma jekin ri ibanuje
I’m a one-man soldier (Oh, oh, oh)
‘Cause if money no dey no ma-ma kan’ran
So even if you don’t do it for me, do it for my brothers (Oh, oh, oh)

[Verse 1: Highlyy]

Never had a penny, had to get it from my olders
You ain’t never know it, let me tell you ’bout my throwback
And growin’ in the slums, it was rough, them man know that
And I’m gettin’ all this vision from a flashback
Tu ne sais pas, mais tu ne crois pas, pourquoi?
Mon bébé, mon roi, tu est pour moi
It wasn’t easy being someone like me, B
Small girl, big heart with big dreams
Having trauma and deceit, G, better believe me, yeah, yeah

[Chorus: Highlyy & Tion Wayne]

See I carry (Uh) my hustle for my shoulder
Olorun ma jekin ri ibanuje
I’m a one-man soldier (Oh, oh, oh)
‘Cause if money no dey no ma-ma kan’ran
So even if you don’t do it for me, do it for my brothers
Uh-huh, T-Wayne from the 9 (Oh, oh, oh)

[Verse 2: Tion Wayne, Tion Wayne & Highlyy]

See I carry my block all on my shoulder
But these streets fuckin’ with me, I think I got bipolar (Oh, oh, oh)
Rockin’ Richard Millie with my poker
If you put your hand up on me, I’ma lose composure (Oh, oh, oh-oh)
Uh-huh, from the strugglin’ (Uh)
One-man sold’ robbin’ him
How they post me on The Shade Borough last week? (Why?)
I gotta sell the G-Wag’ by the Cullinan (Uh)
Young millionaire, I’m one of ’em (Yeah)
I fuck A-list celebs, no cuddlin’
It was tap water and Robinsons (Bang)
So why I gotta send P to the government?
HMRC, I don’t fuck with them (No)
My tax like a ‘Rari, not an offerin’
See now I’m off the streets, it’s cuttin’ ’em (Uh)
They want me in jail and sufferin’

[Chorus: Highlyy & Tion Wayne]

See I carry my hustle (Baow) for my shoulder
Olorun ma jekin ri ibanuje
I’m a one-man soldier (T-Wayne from the 9, oh, oh, oh)
‘Cause if money no dey no ma-ma kan’ran
So even if you don’t do it for me, do it for my brothers (Oh, oh, oh)

[Outro: Highlyy, Tion Wayne, Highlyy & Tion Wayne]

See I carry my hustle for my shoulder
Olorun ma jekin ri ibanuje
I’m a one-man soldier (One man sold’, oh, oh, oh)
‘Cause if money no dey no ma-ma kan’ran
So even if you don’t do it for me, do it for my brothers (Oh, oh, oh-oh)

It is one of those songs that is birth in a struggle.

She attested “This song means so much to me. I wrote it at 3am when I was going through a hard time in my life. Music was the only thing that was keeping me going, so this felt like a prayer to make it out and have a shot at pursuing my dreams“.

In a place of cofounding.

Highlyy a daughter to Congo Immigrants.

Tion Wayne, Dennis Junior Odunwo, a son to Yoruba, Nigerian immigrants.

Hearing Highlyy voice English, Pidgin, Yoruba, and French shows what can happen when one trust his/her song writing partners and the beat one is giving.

Never had a penny, had to get it from my olders
So even if you don’t do it for me, do it for my brothers (Oh, oh, oh)

It wasn’t easy being someone like me, B
Small girl, big heart with big dreams
Having trauma and deceit, G, better believe me, yeah, yeah