Nelda’s new album “Between Two Worlds” is a vibrant and emotionally rich exploration of voluntary displacement, brought to life through a series of collaborations with songwriters from diverse cultural backgrounds. Each track on the album delves into the complex emotional landscape of leaving one’s homeland, navigating the unfamiliar, and ultimately finding a sense of belonging in a new world.
The album opens with “Everything is Scary,” a haunting reflection on the anxieties of departure, co-written with Italian artist Viola Ugolini. This sets the tone for a journey that is both deeply personal and universally relatable. The title track, “In-between Two Worlds,” captures the disorienting experience of feeling torn between two identities, with its jazzy, off-kilter instrumentation perfectly mirroring this unsettling emotion.
One of the standout tracks, “Heartache,” co-written with Bangladeshi artist Hasib Sunny, offers a poignant portrayal of the pain and resilience required to start anew. The album concludes with “No Place Like Home,” a powerful anthem of belonging, co-written with Nigerian songwriter Tunday Akintan, which beautifully encapsulates the album’s overarching theme: the universal search for home.
“Between Two Worlds” is more than just a concept album; it’s a celebration of cultural diversity and the human capacity to adapt and thrive in new environments. This album solidifies Nelda’s place as a unique voice in contemporary music, and it’s a compelling listen that I highly recommend adding to your playlist.