“18 Days” by Will the Wolf and Issa is a catchy upbeat number by two rising Trinidadian artistes. Though strangers prior to this collaboration and with each separately going through the negative fallouts of love gone bad, Jeff Wight a.k.a ‘Will the Wolf” and Isa ‘Issa’ Abdullah came together via the channels of social media. You see, when Will the Wolf heard Issa’s single, “Pictures”, he left the following YouTube comment: “Hauntingly beautiful. Love dis fam. Proud of another brother representing the red, white, and black.” He then reached out to Issa on Instagram where the topic of a collaboration between the two was discussed. All too soon, a meeting between Will, Issa, and producer Mark Hallal was set and what was supposed to be an R&B/Lofi single was made into this Pop-heavy number written by both guys with lyrics carrying the scar of their emotional pains that they were both going through at the time of writing.

Lines such as Will’s “And I prolly won’t answer if you call my phone, always asking why I put her in the friend zone” and Issa’s “She don’t wanna see another sunset where the stars don’t show cuz the clouds they upset for me” is indicative of the adage “Once bitten twice shy”.

In the “18 Days” video, we see Will and Issa tastefully deliver a story sung on a catchy beat. The video was shot and edited by Dane Padmore of 3:AM Productions under the creative direction of Will the Wolf. Performance shots were taken in Paramin which is a beautiful and quaint mountain community located on the North-west coast of Trinidad. The rest of the video showcased the artistes, more of their island, and a bit of the folks close to them. Cameo appearances can be seen from the “Turn Up” producer, Stadic, and Daniel of “What Yuh Know” fame.

Will The Wolf has come a long way from age 17 when he realised he’s not so bad at this singing thing and set foot on his music-filled path. Years later, he wears several creative hats which are on display in “18 Days”. For this project, the roles he played included that of Stylist, Singer, Songwriter, and Creative Director. About being a Creative Director he said, “I’ve always loved writing since I was a little kid, which is strange in a way because I grew up pretty severely dyslexic. I’ve always liked telling stories, I grew up around amazing storytellers. For me, creative direction is telling a story. I like stories that are full of detail, that have texture, and bring something more. I like a strong sense of nostalgia, that pinch”.

Listening to ’18 Days’, in the beginning, there is a soothing hum, this can be heard again when it acts as a bridge leading into the second verse, Issa’s verse. Deep, rich and soulful, let’s talk about him.

Isa Abdullah, also Trinidadian, has been in the music business for quite some time. In 2019, he released a Soca song called “Soca Madness” which he wrote himself. Speaking of writing, he’s made a dent in the Soca industry as a ghostwriter for a number of big acts who, of course, he can’t mention. Casually going about his business being a ghostwriter and having to show artistes how to get the note right, he would have to sing it. As time went by it was repeatedly pointed out that he could sing. Though frankly speaking, Issa said when it comes to his sound, he hasn’t nailed a title for it as yet. According to him, “I would like somebody to actually tell me what genre I’m singing”. The Pictures artiste said that it’s hard for him to differentiate which genre he’s made his home. An example of the confusion he gave is, say he’s singing Pop, the melodies he belts out might make him sound like he is singing country or soul even.

Heartbreaks always have the potential to create great lyrics and when the source is from two hearts the song has double the potential to be a masterpiece. Two days after its release ’18 Days’ crossed 11, 000 YouTube views, a month later, 36,338, and at the time of writing this article, views clock in at 38,070 and I’ve got a hunch it’ll keep climbing.

Photo Credits:

David Kernahan – Cover art

Marlon James – Will the Wolf’s

Teneka Mohammed – Issa’s