Kotrell - Smile For Me - ThatWeirdMusic

Budding Nigerian artiste, Kotrell, serenades his lover on latest offering, “Smile For Me”

With appearances in music concerts hosted by Nigerian music acts, Chike and Ric Hassani, the name Kotrell is one to watch out for. As the aforementioned acts suggest, Kotrell works in the R&B and alternative tradition, working his way up in a scene that’s remarkably full of singular talents.

On his latest single, “Smile For Me,” he makes his own case over stripped acoustics, front-ended by dreamy guitar licks, as his vocals float around with mellow assurance.

Born Atonopriya Cotterell, Kotrell is an Afropop/Afrosoul artiste and mix engineer from Rivers State, Nigeria. His genre is a unique blend of African sounds and western pop music. Kotrell’s soulful voice and rich tone affords him the ability to paint pictures, with his vocals and watertight lyricism.

Kotrell’s growth became evident when he had his first sold out solo show, “Kotrell Live in Concert” in 2018, while studying Economics at Bowen University, where he graduated as a first class student. Known for delivering breathtaking and emotionally provocative performances, Kotrell has shared the stage with some of Nigeria’s most sought after performers like; Johnny Drille, Timi Dakolo, and Ladipoe, to mention a few. The burgeoning creative is also quite adept at playing the guitar and has various amazing acoustic covers.

“Smile For Me” starts off with rhythmic guitar strums, merged with a mellowed-out Afrobeat production, perfectly suiting Kotrell’s vocals and delivery. Lyrically, he swoons over his love interest, persuading her to smile, dance and even ride for him. Further along the track, he admits that money can’t buy the kind of love he feels towards his perceived romantic partner. There’s a smoothness to his delivery, coupled with soothing African sounds and literature, that come in midway through the track, giving the song an extra bit of musical elevation.

The sweet spot in Kotrell’s music seems to be that the Nigerian singer and songwriter is constantly trying to speak directly to your soul, and usually, he succeeds. With music influences like; Akon, Ed Sheeran, Khalid and Drake, Kotrell is ready to take the world by storm with his music, as he continues to evolve as a singer/songwriter, performer, and recording artiste, ready to share his gift and tell stories that matter through his music.

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Kotrell joined us for an interview to shed more light on “Smile For Me,” and to give us more details about his impending project.