The debut album of global sensation CKay sees the singer, songwriter and producer crystallise his expressive iteration of Afrobeats. The artist born Chukwuka Ekweani pairs authentic songwriting with fluid melodies as he chronicles his journey through romantic relationships. Imbuing Afropop with languid soul, sensual R&B, jazzy instrumentation and Afrohouse, Sad Romance brings together saxophones, keys, log drums and violins that organically glance off each other. The energetic amapiano on the Davido- and Focalistic-assisted “WATAWI”, unrepentant acoustics of “you cheated, i cheated too”, and seductive overtones of “come close” meet the tropical themes on the dualistic “samson and delilah” alongside Mayra Andrade. Best embodying the fusion of sounds and cultures on Sad Romance is the duet with Ronisia, “lose you”, which cocoons French lyrics within its emotive, soprano textures. The deluxe edition, released in 2023, adds four new tracks, including the Blaqbonez collab “HALLELUJAH” AND the Joeboy assisted “capture my soul”.