Intention, desire and romance continue to be at the heart of Afropop. Rising star Runda has always paid homage and reverence to these motifs in his music—starting from 2021’s “Uptown Girl” and “Bam Bam”, where he tenderly explored his attraction to a love interest over textured instrumentation. His 2022 self-titled debut project was a pop-inspired detour into the nature and perks of celebrity buoyed by the singer’s fastidious songwriting and balmy singing that birthed highlights like the jaunty “Monaco” and a genre-meshing “Zombie”. On Beautiful Lies, his follow-up, the singer is back in familiar territory, dissecting matters of the heart with renewed clarity and heightened sensitivity atop midtempo beats that sound retrofitted for his buttery vocals. With a year’s worth of experience navigating romance and attraction while in the public eye, the singer (born Oluwapelumi Olorunda) is skilled at the sort of sweet-talking poise to make his women melt. Exhibit one is project opener, “Feeling Sexyy”, a heart-tugging ode to romance layered over a subterranean instrumental. On the project’s titular track, Runda’s knack for narration and breathless enunciation comes to the fore as he details his transformation from loverboy to would-be playboy. Toxicity plays a part in furthering the narrative of Beautiful Lies. Teaming up with Dai Verse on “Damaged”, Runda makes a song for all the boys who have lost their way in romances but are trying to find their way back, while “My Fault” is a pointed admission of guilt. Even if Beautiful Lies is primarily a dreamy odyssey through Runda’s experiences, there are moments of downright edginess to keep the vibe going: the amapiano-inspired “Woman” is a party-starter that doubles as a promise of faithfulness, while PsychoYP and Cheque help to drive the message of recommitment home on “Next to Me”.