AkayCentric offers a declaration of all-encompassing, eternal love in "Body and Soul," an immersive track off his 2019 album, Ignition. "Let me be the one for you/ And you'll be the one for me/ And I promise I'm gonna give my all," the Lagos, Nigeria native sings in the chorus.
On the studio version of "Body and Soul," a smooth backing track and an atmospheric blend of backing vocals propel the song forward. But in this stripped-down performance, the Afropop star trades those bells and whistles for a simple, acoustic guitar line and a plaintive, pure vocal delivery.
In this episode of Press Play, AkayCentric gives fans a front-row seat to his intimate living room performance, which puts his honeyed vocals on full display. Trembling vibrato and R&B vocal runs add to the emotional impact of the melody, with a gentle acoustic guitar line and backing vocals providing subtle texture to this performance of "Body and Soul."
AkayCentric is closing out 2022 with an acoustic set in Oakland, Calif., where he'll open for R&B star Tone Stith on Dec. 4. When he announced the show on social media, AkayCentric promised, "Trust me, I sound better LIVE." Judging by this performance, he's not wrong.
Press play on the video above to watch AkayCentric's intimate performance of "Body and Soul," and keep checking back to GRAMMY.com for more episodes of Press Play.