It was a chilly Saturday in January when I decided to make the trek from my home in Northern Virginia to Bowie, Maryland (ifykyk) for an intimate listening session hosted for an artist I'd never heard of before: Nola Ade.

The venue? Ade's cousin's charming apartment. Did I think this was a ploy to kidnap me upon pulling up to the complex? Yes. Did I mind? Meh, life was rough, and maybe I could negotiate with the kidnappers to sell one of my kidneys and let me pocket the profit. 

My worries were instantly silenced once I quickly hit "share location" with five of my closest friends and entered Ade's cousin's home. I was immediately met with a warm welcome in by Ade's people, her brother, her cousins and the rest of her circle. 

It was unlike any listening sessions or performances I've been to. There were wine and drink offerings, appetizers and delicious bites to devour, people mixing and mingling and it was reminiscent of a casual dinner party with close friends. The vibe was uniquely immaculate which transcended into who Ade is as an artist and performer. 

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The Chicago based Nigerian-American artist took center stage, or rather center living room, and instantaneously captured the audience's undivided attention with her familiar charm and smooth enveloping vocals as she kicked off her set list.

I have trouble describing her sound to friends. One, because it's unlike anything I've heard before and two, how do you even begin to describe great music?! "It's like Afrobeats but very passionate R&B love song like. A little pop-y but more soulful, girl idk just listen."  

So I'll let her do it herself. 

"I like to mix Afrobeats sounds with soul sounds and even pop and jazz influence as well," Ade, who started singing in her elementary school's choir, says. "Afro-soul is what I call it, to encompass everything."

Ade started writing her sophomore EP "Royal" (streaming now) early last year when she was going through tough times. The album explores themes of grappling with identity and draws from her experiences being Nigerian-American.

"Royal is about understanding your worth and understanding your identity regardless of what people think (and) see right now," Ade says. "It's about walking in purpose, recognizing that I deserve everything that I'm going after, it's about reinforcing to people 'I am who I say that I am.' You have to believe who you are before other people actually believe it."

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Her single "Royal," which her EP is titled after, was the first song she wrote for the project during a time where she "was not so sure of myself."

The song's intro lyrics are an embodiment of what Ade's album is about and listening to it feels like a much needed morale boost: "On your mark, ready, set let's go. It's time to show the whole wide world what you're made for." 

"I was feeling all types of down, all types of unsure because of just life in general." Ade says. "I was going through a breakup at that time too, and it was just something that I used to encourage me and to understand who I am (and) to not react to things in negative ways. It's about embracing the positivity in life."

Music has always been a part of Ade's life, but it wasn't until 2015 that she started pursuing it professionally. For a while, the Chicago artist was balancing law school and her music career simultaneously before deciding one had to give… and it wasn't going to be her music.

Being a new artist is no easy feat as anyone could tell you and it comes with its own challenges, but one of the things Ade finds joy in is reaching new people with her sound.

"Hearing from new people it just gives me motivation to keep going," Ade says. "Hearing positive feedback from new people that have never heard my music before, it really does feel good."