{"id":22640,"date":"2016-08-24T11:08:53","date_gmt":"2016-08-24T10:08:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/?p=22640"},"modified":"2016-08-24T11:08:53","modified_gmt":"2016-08-24T10:08:53","slug":"mohka-melkai-is-caught-between-a-rock-and-a-hard-place-with-sway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/2016\/08\/mohka-melkai-is-caught-between-a-rock-and-a-hard-place-with-sway\/","title":{"rendered":"Mohka Melkai Is Caught Between A Rock And A Hard Place With &#8216;Sway&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<h4 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"22641\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/2016\/08\/mohka-melkai-is-caught-between-a-rock-and-a-hard-place-with-sway\/photo001\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Photo001.jpg?fit=1917%2C1080&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1917,1080\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Photo001\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Photo001.jpg?fit=640%2C361&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-22641\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Photo001.jpg?resize=640%2C361&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Photo001\" width=\"640\" height=\"361\" \/><\/h4>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Mokha Melkai, from Johannesburg, South Africa, is a hip hop artist whose new single, &#8216;Sway&#8217;, relies on a heavy bass beat and catchy hooks. His sparse yet powerful lyrics are the perfect accompaniment, his sound reflecting the influence of artists such as The Weeknd, Drake, and Sade.<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&#8216;Sway&#8217; focuses on the line between infatuation and love: the symbolism in the video, masks and drowning, illustrate perfectly the struggle of trying to determine just how deep you want to go &#8211; and whether or not you want to show your real self.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mokha Melkai describes his music as an opportunity to create a new world, in which he is able to express his feelings, unhinged. He draws inspiration from past experiences, and in putting together his music he first focuses on the instrumental part of the track, and how it makes him feel, and decides what emotion he wishes to convey. When this is satisfied, he allows the lyrics to flow.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&#8216;Sway&#8217; is available to download from\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/apple.co\/2ao86M3\" target=\"_blank\">iTunes<\/a> and stream on <a href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/mokhamelkai\/sway\" target=\"_blank\">Soundcloud<\/a>. You can also find Mokha Melkai online on <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/A1ToTheEnd\" target=\"_blank\">Facebook<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MokhaMelkai\" target=\"_blank\">Twitter<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"epyt-video-wrapper\">\n<div  style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto;\"  id=\"_ytid_45663\"  width=\"640\" height=\"360\"  data-origwidth=\"640\" data-origheight=\"360\"  data-relstop=\"1\" data-facadesrc=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ZdhEyZnN6ks?enablejsapi=1&#038;origin=https:\/\/essentiallypop.com&#038;autoplay=0&#038;cc_load_policy=0&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;loop=0&#038;fs=1&#038;playsinline=1&#038;controls=1&#038;disablekb=0&#038;color=red&#038;cc_lang_pref=&#038;rel=0&#038;autohide=2&#038;theme=dark&#038;\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__ epyt-facade epyt-is-override  no-lazyload\" data-epautoplay=\"1\" ><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" data-spai-excluded=\"true\" class=\"epyt-facade-poster skip-lazy\" loading=\"lazy\"  alt=\"YouTube player\"  src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/ZdhEyZnN6ks\/maxresdefault.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\"  \/><button class=\"epyt-facade-play\" aria-label=\"Play\"><svg data-no-lazy=\"1\" height=\"100%\" version=\"1.1\" viewBox=\"0 0 68 48\" width=\"100%\"><path class=\"ytp-large-play-button-bg\" d=\"M66.52,7.74c-0.78-2.93-2.49-5.41-5.42-6.19C55.79,.13,34,0,34,0S12.21,.13,6.9,1.55 C3.97,2.33,2.27,4.81,1.48,7.74C0.06,13.05,0,24,0,24s0.06,10.95,1.48,16.26c0.78,2.93,2.49,5.41,5.42,6.19 C12.21,47.87,34,48,34,48s21.79-0.13,27.1-1.55c2.93-0.78,4.64-3.26,5.42-6.19C67.94,34.95,68,24,68,24S67.94,13.05,66.52,7.74z\" fill=\"#f00\"><\/path><path d=\"M 45,24 27,14 27,34\" fill=\"#fff\"><\/path><\/svg><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mokha Melkai, from Johannesburg, South Africa, is a hip hop artist whose new single, &#8216;Sway&#8217;, relies on a heavy bass beat and catchy hooks. His sparse yet powerful lyrics are the perfect accompaniment, his sound reflecting the influence of artists such as The Weeknd, Drake, and Sade.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":22644,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[7,9],"tags":[6119,5261,6933,6932,77,370,6935,161,4685,6934],"class_list":["post-22640","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music","category-new-releases","tag-drake","tag-hiphop","tag-johannesburg","tag-mahko-malkai","tag-new-release","tag-new-single","tag-sade","tag-south-africa","tag-sway","tag-the-weeknd"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5yMhl-5Ta","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":48159,"url":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/2019\/03\/brandon-rivers-doesnt-want-to-dance-with-you-in-new-song-audrey-hepburn\/","url_meta":{"origin":22640,"position":0},"title":"Brandon Rivers Doesn&#8217;t Want To Dance With You In New Song &#8216;Audrey Hepburn&#8217;","author":"Lisa Hafey","date":"22\/03\/2019","format":false,"excerpt":"With a style that falls somewhere between Drake, The Weeknd, and Ariana Grande, up and coming pop\/trap\/RnB artist Brandon Rivers has today released his new single, 'Audrey Hepburn'.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Music&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Music","link":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/category\/music\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/55957772_2151758274940788_5196603926408855552_o.jpg?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/55957772_2151758274940788_5196603926408855552_o.jpg?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/55957772_2151758274940788_5196603926408855552_o.jpg?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/55957772_2151758274940788_5196603926408855552_o.jpg?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/55957772_2151758274940788_5196603926408855552_o.jpg?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":67762,"url":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/2021\/02\/moveanddream-present-latest-single-sade-adu\/","url_meta":{"origin":22640,"position":1},"title":"MoveAndDream Present Latest Single, &#8216;Sade Adu&#8217;","author":"Lisa Hafey","date":"10\/02\/2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Dance music meets the best of Afrobeats with 'Sade Adu', the new single from MoveAndDream, and which sees them join together with multi-award winning artists Iyanya and Praiz.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Music&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Music","link":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/category\/music\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/MoveAndDream.jpg?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/MoveAndDream.jpg?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/MoveAndDream.jpg?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/MoveAndDream.jpg?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/MoveAndDream.jpg?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":71060,"url":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/2021\/09\/debbi-o-taps-into-80s-nostalgia-with-the-release-of-her-new-single-sweet-love\/","url_meta":{"origin":22640,"position":2},"title":"Debbi O Taps Into 80s Nostalgia With The Release Of Her New Single, &#8216;Sweet Love&#8217;","author":"Lisa Hafey","date":"02\/09\/2021","format":false,"excerpt":"'Sweet Love' is the new single from South London singer, Debbi O. The song, which is set for release tomorrow, September 3, is rooted in 80s nostalgia, with a nod to Sade's 'Sweetest Taboo'.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Music&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Music","link":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/category\/music\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Debbi-O.png?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Debbi-O.png?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Debbi-O.png?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Debbi-O.png?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Debbi-O.png?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":18435,"url":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/2016\/02\/arjun-is-frozen-with-new-single\/","url_meta":{"origin":22640,"position":3},"title":"Arjun is &#8216;Frozen&#8217; With New Single","author":"Lisa Hafey","date":"25\/02\/2016","format":false,"excerpt":"A YouTube phenomenon with a massive international following, London-based singer, songwriter and producer Arjun is probably the biggest UK artist you've never heard of.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;New Artists&quot;","block_context":{"text":"New Artists","link":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/category\/music\/new-artists\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/image002.jpg?fit=407%2C407&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":65576,"url":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/2020\/10\/senior-releases-latest-album-i-feel-better-alone\/","url_meta":{"origin":22640,"position":4},"title":"Senior Releases Latest Album &#8216;I Feel Better Alone&#8217;","author":"Essentially Pop","date":"15\/10\/2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Out today, 15 October, I Feel Better Alone' is the new album from singer-songwriter Senior. Written from a place of anxiety, the record is both emotive and inspiring, and includes 16 tracks with a new age, chill wave vibe.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Album Reviews&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Album Reviews","link":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/category\/music\/reviews\/album-reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/senior.png?fit=883%2C884&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/senior.png?fit=883%2C884&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/senior.png?fit=883%2C884&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/senior.png?fit=883%2C884&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":64294,"url":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/2020\/08\/smile-by-juice-wrld-and-the-weeknd-out-now\/","url_meta":{"origin":22640,"position":5},"title":"&#8216;SMILE&#8217; BY JUICE WRLD AND THE WEEKND OUT NOW","author":"Essentially Pop","date":"07\/08\/2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Grade A \/ Interscope Records has delivered new single 'Smile', by Juice WRLD and The Weeknd. The highly-anticipated collaboration was first teased by The Weeknd on his social media channels earlier this week, quickly catching the attention of fans. Prior to his death, Juice\u00a0tweeted\u00a0about making music with The Weeknd saying\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Music&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Music","link":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/category\/music\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/smile.jpg?fit=624%2C624&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/smile.jpg?fit=624%2C624&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/smile.jpg?fit=624%2C624&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Mohka-Melkai-2.jpg?fit=1894%2C1891&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22640","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22640"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22640\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22644"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22640"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22640"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22640"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}