SPOTLIGHT: QUEEN NAIJA
Meet Queen Naija and tune into her brand new EP “30.”
Queen Naija has always thrived in the space between vulnerability and strength, a duality that defines her latest project, “30.” The eight-track EP marks both a personal and artistic checkpoint for the Atlanta-based R&B powerhouse, tracing the arc of a woman embracing growth, self-knowledge, and imperfection without apology.
The opening track, “thirty” sets the tone. Naija admits to her anxieties about entering a new decade, “Ooh, thirty, thirty, please be sweet to me / Don’t you do me dirty,” she sings, reinstating a warrant for grace in this next chapter. Her humor cuts through the introspection as she quips about calling her therapist and reflection of neglecting the gym, grounding the project in a rare kind of honesty. Rather than idealizing womanhood, Naija captures its texture with equal parts self-doubt, grace, and grit.
Across 30., she finds her footing between heartbreak and healing. “i deserve” offers a grown-woman manifesto of rest, reciprocity, and self-worth, while “what u looking 4 (WYL4)” revisits lost love with grace instead of bitterness. Even on sensual cuts like “rain” and “tipsy,” Naija wields confidence as an extension of her vulnerability in a manner that never feels performative, but sincerely human.
That balance didn’t arrive overnight. In a conversation with Recently Played, Naija reflected on moments within her career that still feel extraordinary. “Opening up for Mary J. Blige, I grew up listening to her,” she says. “Being on Babyface’s album…a lot of the greats have vouched for me, and that has felt very surreal.” It’s a reminder that her rise, though grounded in digital-era beginnings, has deepened into a legacy conversation, one that now includes co-signs from the very artists who shaped her sound.
At just twenty minutes long, 30. feels intentionally compact, behaving as a journal and grand statement. Yet within its brevity, Naija distills an entire emotional decade, capturing the messiness of growth, the sting of love, and the quiet triumph of self-acceptance. Her tone has maturely became smoother and assured, but her raw, unfiltered, and resonant heart remains the same.
This EP enters and breathes this world through affirmation. She’s lived, learned, and prepared to evolve through this next decade. If “missunderstood” introduced Queen Naija as R&B’s next great storyteller, 30. confirms she’s here for the long run.
Listen to “30.” here.
