Adding to the continued ascension of R&B in African pop music, Valerie Omari’s sophomore project, 2023’s Closure EP, builds on the levels of self-awareness she introduced with the 2018 debut single “Just Like the Rain”. Closure trails the early stage of a breakup, where there are more questions than answers. Across five tracks, the Congo (DRC)-born singer-songwriter floats between English and French as she journeys through the hurt, confusion and eventual resolve. “Done playing games ’cause you don’t know me,” she deadpans on “If I Tried”, featuring The Rabbi Himself. Myke Grizzly lends his vocals on “For You”, and on “I Hope You Understand”, Omari makes a case for honesty—though it comes with difficult conversations. Closure offers familiar tropes of love and loss, yet manages to create fresh pockets from which to explore them.