Kenyan vocalist Nikita Kering has released her debut EP Lick Back, a five-track project, which addresses heartbreak, emotional accountability and self-worth, structured as a response to love the artist says was not properly valued.
The EP’s title signals its intent. “It is about getting my revenge for everything to everyone, taking things into my own hands and being unapologetic,” Kering said. “We’re all going through a tough time in this world. I think it’s time someone speaks on it.”
The project opens with “Intro,” a bilingual track layering Afropop textures over soft chants and the phrase “Je t’aime, I love you baby,” establishing an atmosphere of emotional euphoria before the EP turns more searching. “Niwache” addresses the confusion of a deteriorating relationship, switching between Swahili, Sheng and English to capture the unanswered messages, emotional distance, and quiet erosion of trust familiar to modern heartbreak.
The mood shifts sharply on “Give Me My Money,” which introduces a more assertive register, framing the dissolution of a relationship as a matter of respect and accountability. “Outside” extends that movement toward liberation, while closing track “Sema Ukweli,” Swahili for “speak the truth,” returns to vulnerability, depicting the exhausting emotional cycle of wanting to leave while remaining attached.
“Lick Back is not just about getting even,” Kering said. “It is about getting free.”
The EP is now streaming on all platforms via ONErpm.
