Whilst Berchie’s beautiful debut release, ‘Under The Sun’, told a story of tender uncertainty and apparent soul searching, ‘Am I An Adult Yet?’ paints a picture of an artist in an increasingly assured and reflective place. It’s an elegant, soulful exploration of love, maturity and the realisation of personal perspective.

The EP opens with ‘Don’t Get Ahead of Yourself’, where Berchie melodically implores the listener, and perhaps even her younger self, to take time and enjoy the journey without becoming preoccupied with the destination. The call for patience is mirrored by the track’s musical arrangement, courtesy of producer Talos’ trademark smooth sound. This deeply textured production is exquisitely embellished by saxophonist Aidan Newland and Grifton Forbes-Amos on trumpet. The final layer of Berchie’s soulful, uplifting voice provides knowing instructions about living in the moment and enjoying youth. It’s a great way to open the EP, and provides a perfect transition from the old Lizzie Berchie, to the new one.

The EP peaks with the most recently released single ‘We Found Love’. The track embodies the mood and energy found throughout ‘Am I An Adult Yet?’, and if you could hear colour, this song would be rich shade of golden orange – warm, bright and energetic. Despite evoking nostalgia for Minnie Riperton’s ‘Inside My Love’ and Sade’s ‘Smooth Operator’, this track, produced by Hilts, is boldly and unashamedly original. It opens with up-beat percussion, quickly accompanied by Berchie’s faint melodic adlibbing. When the artist’s voice enters at full volume, it builds up, teasing what is to come. Repetition of “We found” gradually breaks into a climax of “We found love in the hardest spaces, no I wouldn’t replace it”. It’s almost like the listener has been present for the finding process, and now bears witness to the realisation of the discovery. It embodies the ever-present mood of the EP, of someone who has worked it out, who has arrived in an empowered space of self, even if it’s perhaps not exactly how they thought it would be, and there have been challenges along the way. But now Lizzie Berchie, has arrived, she’s here, she knows and understands herself.

Berchie hails from Newham, East London. From the wartime rallying cries of Dame Vera Lynn to the explosive drumming of Iron Maiden’s Clive Burr, via Kojo Funds’ innovative Afroswing sound and one of the UK’s most revered rappers Kano, the borough is steeped in musical history. Berchie is walking in the footsteps of greatness and ably continuing a rich tradition of euphonic excellence emanating from East.

‘Am I An Adult Yet?’ is a beautiful release from a truly talented artist. The uncertainty implied by its title belies the maturity which emanates from the EP from the start to finish, a resounding answer to the question being posed.

You can see Lizzie Berchie live at Omeara London on October the 22nd.