Queensley Agharese Okoro's “Weak Love” Is a Brilliant Declaration of Desire

There's something achingly honest about Queensley Agharese Okoro's “Weak Love” that makes it impossible to dismiss as just another entry in the oversaturated Afrobeats love song catalogue. The Benin-born songwriter, who you might remember from her co-writing credit on Sokid's “Woman”, has returned with a preview of her forthcoming EP Layola, and if this is the standard we're to expect, then we're in for something special.

The track, “Weak Love”, operates in that delicate space of vulnerability and melody. It’s a midtempo Afrobeats record aided by soft, attentive guitar riffs. The genius of the record lies in its honesty. Queensley isn’t playing hide-and-seek with metaphor or dressing her emotions in coded language. She goes straight for the truth. “Boy I am falling, falling for you again, because you scatter my brain, e dey high me like cocaine,” she sings on the chorus. It is a confession that captures the dizzying high of falling for someone who destabilises your emotional equilibrium.

But it’s on the bridge that the emotional weight of the song becomes undeniable. “I need you to love me back, hold me tight, don’t push me back…” she pleads, before adding, “play no games, just you and I.” The repetition of “love me back” works almost like the kind of vulnerable emotion many people feel but rarely voice. The production choices play a crucial supporting role. The guitar lines provide a melancholic counterpoint to the urgency of her lyrics. The midtempo pacing gives the song room to breathe and also space for her voice to settle, stretch, and shimmer without being drowned out by aggressive percussion or overly crowded arrangements. 

Queensley’s trajectory from trusted co-writer to fully formed lead artist is worth noting. “Woman” showed us she could craft narratives for others; “Weak Love” proves she can inhabit those narratives herself with equal conviction. There’s a maturity in her approach that suggests she’s building something more intentional, a catalogue rooted in emotional truth, not algorithmic convenience.

As we await her upcoming EP titled “Layola”, the new track, “Weak Love” positions Queensley Agharese Okoro as an artist unafraid of soft declarations. In an era where so much Afrobeats production feels designed for maximum immediate impact, she's betting on songs that might actually age well, that might mean something to listeners beyond the first listen.

Written by Abioye Damilare Samson for Notjustok