Esmae Feat. Onika J – Fire

Rising British newcomer Esmae shares ‘Fire’ ft. Onika J – her first new single of the year. With its minimalist feel and punchy vocals, ‘Fire’ marks an exciting new shift in sound towards UK rap and grime for Esmae.

Leading with a riff akin to Kendrick Lamar’s ‘HUMBLE.’, Esmae quickly takes centre stage with her rawest, attitude-filled vocal performance to date. Her catchy melodies come to life in the choruses while rapper Onika J delivers further heat with her slick bars. Directed by Reece Selvadorai, (Take That, Jess Glynne, Skepta), the ‘Fire’ music video takes the track to a whole new level, delivering high-energy choreography, mesmerising outfits, and of course, fire aplenty.

Fire is such a fun song, which really embraces female empowerment. You can feel the unapologetic united front between me and the incredibly talented rapper, Onika J, from the off. There is no choice but to bounce to this track – it has its own life force, it’s pure fire.

Penning her first song at age 16, Teeside artist Esmae had to park her music as life took her on another journey. However, despite her career success elsewhere, music kept on calling. In 2019, Esmae posted a collection of songs onto Soundcloud where they quickly racked up over 500,000 streams, as well as plays on the BBC. She then launched her own YouTube channel, uploading weekly cover songs which led to another over a million views and a substantial online following. Esmae then decided to stop sitting on the songs she’d been writing in private and took them into the studio to record. After releasing her first single in 2021, these songs would go on to form her pop-laden debut EP ‘Do Better’, a body of work that showcased Esmae’s love of old-school R&B with new-school dance music, while also channeling relatable themes of love and relationships through her distinct lens. ‘Undone’ followed in 2023, taking inspiration from pop powerhouses such as Dua Lipa and Anne-Marie. Now, with ‘Fire’ showcasing the Teeside artist in a completely new light, Esmae’s creative opportunities are endless

Listen to this song and more emerging artists just like this one on Channel R Rising, playing Mon-Sat at 5pm PT/8pm ET and Sundays at 10 am PT/1 pm ET on Channel R – Today’s Hits & Your All-Time Favorites.