TiyaJoan is a spoken word artist and rapper signed under Essence Records, which is also home to Christian rapper Khetwayo. Fierce Redemption is her debut EP and she describes it as a “Fierce redemption centres on exploring a relationship with Jesus which represents a true authentic, pure and passionate love that brings to life a soul.” I was really excited to listen and review this album because of two reasons, first one being the fact that this is my first time reviewing a body of work by a female artist. Secondly, because the team has worked really hard in putting out dope promotional work including videos for “scared” and “the art of smiling”.
When you listen to the EP “Fierce Redemption”, one of the first things you will notice is how Christian it is, which makes sense given that the project is centred on what it looks like to have a relationship with Jesus. I appreciated how Tiya shared her story of how God transformed her life, the beauty of the transformational power of the gospel comes out beautifully in the poems ‘Fierce redemption’ and ‘I’m a Witness’
My stand out poem in this EP is the art of smiling, the EP is honest about the struggles a Christian goes through, in the case, they are personal struggles but a lot of people can relate to these struggles. The art of smiling brings in a unique perspective to difficult times, it is possible to see beauty in the midst of ashes. This is a stand out track because that’s is where I saw her writing abilities highlighted, my favourite line is “pain is like dew/It always subsides”.
“Taking one day at a time/
Confronting the pain when it’s real/
When the tears threaten to fall/
Insistently enough that I do actually cry/
It’s accepting that it hurts when it does/
Its intensifying the mourning/
But only for a season/
Remembering that though it may not seem like it now/
But everything happens for a reason/
And pain is like dew/
It always subsides/”- TiyaJoan
Production quality is quite seamless and nothing short of excellent quality wise, which is no surprise given the fact that the EP was produced, mixed and mastered by the talented AK on the Board. I would have loved to hear more versatility in the production, the acoustic guitar became too monotonous at some point, making it difficult to distinguish the poems.
The EP is a good first impression, it makes me curious to see what else TiyaJoan can do, especially when it comes to rap, I have a feeling she would have a really dope flow. I hope to see her explore the technical side of poetry as well, with more wordplay, metaphors and all those little things that make poetry, poetry. From the work they put into to launching this EP, it seems Tiya is in good hands at Essense Records, there is definitely need and space for female artists in the Christian Music space, I hope TiyaJoan will step into that empty space and fill it all the way up.
What do you think of Fierce Redemption? Have you heard it yet? You can download it for free here: https://audiomack.com/album/tiya-joan/fierce-redemption
You can follow TiyaJoan on Social Media:
Facebook: Tiya Joan
Twitter: @TiyaJoan
Instagram: @tiyajoan
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