Before We Fall Asleep

Drille announced the album on his Instagram page on 25 August 2021, writing "My debut album is now 9 days away".[1] On 30 August 2021, he held an exclusive pyjamas themed album listening party with guess in attenders including Don Jazzy, among others at Filmhouse Cinemas.[2] On 1 September 2021, he released the trailer film of Before We Fall Asleep, directed by timmyDAVIES.[2]

Drille had his first listening at Ultima Studios in Lekki.[3] He tells Guardian Music "I Want My Music To Outlive Me".[3] Lyrically, as an activist, his themes touches on dreams, corruption, and love.[4] BWFA, peaked at number 3 on Apple Music top albums in Nigeria.

In introduction "MY KIND OF BROWN", the song touches the theme of self-love, the track focussing on admonishing a love interest about embracing who she is and putting aside her insecurities.[5] In "loving is harder", an upbeat tempo, the lyrics focus on the relatable and sincere dynamics of a relationship – the inconsistency and craziness that could come with it, talking about wanting to being in love without problems but with reciprocated love and energy.[5] In "ludo", a board game mostly played by Nigerians in West Africa that involves tossing dices around a board, which is what I compare my heart to in this song. The lyrics convey a strong message of having the strength to walk away from a toxic relationship choosing to protect my emotional and mental wellbeing instead of being played like a “ludo”.[5] In "ova", he teamed up with Don Jazzy on a song pleading to a loved one, putting pride aside and baring it. In "odo" a slang in Nigeria used to refer to a loved one. He tells 1883 Magazine "I worked with Nigerian R&B/Pop group Styl-Plus on this track", Odo is a song of affirmation to a loved one.[5] In "driving in the rain", I express my love, desire and affection for a girl, infusing the Bini dialect in this one. I teamed up with Ladipoe and there’s acceptance of letting his guards down, he sings about being in love and wanting to be there for her if only she accepts the love he is offering.[5] In "BEFORE I LET GO", “Do you still believe in us?, Do you still believe in love” forms the chant that opens the song, the song talks about love that has gone cold between two lovers, the case of two people in a relationship who have drifted apart in the course of their relationship which sees the party who sees the love as one sided talking about not knowing how much longer they can hold on to whatever it is that they share as it’s obvious they are grown to be two songs on different keys.[5] In "in the light" he collaborated with Ayra Starr on this track. It has a mix of Afrocentric and pop sound, and we sing about baring it all in a romantic relationship without holding back despite past strife and heartbreak.[5] In "CLOCKS", he team up with Chylde, with the voice of activist and acclaimed father of Afrobeats Fela Anikulapo-Kuti solemnly but clearly speaking at different times in the song. In "LIES (To Whom It May Concern)", a song that touches the theme of politics in the album. Calling out the systems that don’t work and political antics ‘Lies’ reminds the public that the power is in their hands and they can decide the future they want with their votes.[5] In "lost in the rhythm", the song follows the trials of a young person trying to succeed in an environment that works against them.[5] In "SWEET AS A MOTHER’S LOVE", an emotionally moving and powerful song with the use of Bini language, good choice of words, vocal and sound range.[5] In "SISTER", a song of hope and encouragement,[5] and ended the album with "sell my soul", a song of affirmation and statement where I sing about holding on to my standards and values despite the temptation he faces.[5]

"Loving Is Harder" (stylized as "loving is harder") was released as the album's lead single on August 26, 2021.[6]

Before We Fall Asleep received generally favorable reviews from music critics. In a review for The Native, Nwanneamaka Igwe described the album as "4 takeaways".[7] In review for ModernGhana, Emmanuel Daraloye described the album as "an eclectic fusion of different sounds: Neo, Traditional, alternative rock with complimentary input from Afropop.[8] Reviewing for Pulse Nigeria, music journalist Motolani Alake, praised the album by saying "Before We Fall Asleep is worth its wait in-needed".[9]

List of credits from Before We Fall Asleep "BWFS".[10]

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Featured artist(s)

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