‘Nighthawks’ is the result of something unforeseen in Shunaji’s creative process. Almost two years into her musical journey, Shunaji has never recorded herself singing her own lyrics before. She has been acclaimed as a producer, an MC and a songwriter but never wandered outside her comfort zone as a singer. ‘Nighthawks’ brings a different perspective to a well-rounded artist.

After nine months in the works, 'Nighthawks’ premieres as an introduction to Shunaji’s sophomore project ‘Blue Melon’. ‘Nighthawks’ is inspired by the vocals of 70s Italian singers like Mina and Patty Pravo, with the velveted yet coarse textures of Joan Baez and Patti Smith. The beat is extracted from the relentless drums of Sascha Create (Brother’s Testament) and flows smoothly with Marla Mbemba’s bass line (Georgia Morgan Turner, Yazmin Lacey). Shunaji’s soundscapes are a signature for the artist’s genre-bending sound, as seen in her debut ‘Midnight Movie’.

Distancing herself from musical convention, Shunaji offers an experimental yet unexpectedly familiar track, with hypnotic and aphrodisiac features. The hook, “the night denied, the night denied, the night...” is the emblem of desire, loss, lust and incertitude. Accompanied by the enchanting visuals of Director Guen Murroni, ‘Nighthawks’ is a complete work of art, boasting the effectiveness of multimedia and cross-disciplinary collaboration.
lyrics
I would try something so refined
To help me clear my mind
If I can sing, I can rhyme
If I can sing, I can rhyme...

I was born into a special place
Where you and, you and I...
And I would never say goodbye...

The night, denied
The night, denied
The night, denied
I can’t deny the things I felt that night!

Lost in the night I am like neon lights across the city,
They see the talent, say they want it, say it's very pretty,
Investigate the hateful eight, get in the nitty gritty,
Famously too witty, Princess Solo Space Committee,
You stay with me, imagine things so simply,
Ferment myself like kimchi, I am lit but done so dimly,
Sincerely must confess, I've been damned but I stay bless,
Nevermind my mind's a mess I'm the messiah unlike the rest,
Live to aspire to the best - you're upset, caress the feeling,
I speak to you the truth and offer you spiritual healing,
Shunaji through the ceiling, can't weigh the shit I'm dealing,
The mood is on the move and while it's crude it's always thrilling.
Too keen to be in between and when I'm not I'm the beginning,
I'm the mother to my children, on the road a lonely pilgrim I stay with it,
You got your ticket check my flow cause it's exhibit A, stick to the script
And in the end I pick the final take...

You and I are like the pretty pictures
That I’ve sown in my eyes
Just to see you one more time
I want to see you one last time
Come on!

You are the gracious I would like to be
The places I would love to live
It’s you or me, the narratives
And you intervene if I lick my
When I lick my lips...

The night, denied
The night, denied
The night, denied
I can’t deny the things I felt that night!