UCHE YARA rallies the troops on ‘DIVA CLUB’, the latest glimpse of her forthcoming debut album BODYSCANNER. Originally imagined as a tongue-in-cheek character piece in which UCHE becomes captain of a chaotic FLINTA roller derby team, the song has grown into something bigger: a playful celebration of collective confidence, resilience and taking up space.
A driving groove and insistent beat propel ‘DIVA CLUB’ through a brilliantly scrappy mix of art-pop and experimentation. UCHE’s commanding yet playful delivery gives the track its character, particularly when she launches into a rallying speech at its centre, while gang chants turn the surrounding chaos into something genuinely euphoric. It’s another example of what makes UCHE YARA such an exciting artist: her songs inhabit the same wonderfully strange sonic universe while each maintains an identity entirely of its own.
There’s no roller derby in the accompanying video, but the spirit remains intact. UCHE stands armed with a microphone, guitar and headphones in the middle of a packed club as bodies dance around her, looking every bit the captain of her own unruly team. Lively, unpolished and joyfully chaotic, it captures ‘DIVA CLUB’ perfectly – loud, proud and completely comfortable taking up space.
