Nikiré’s “REFLECTIONS make you develop”: A Quiet Philosophy Transmitted through Sound.
With “REFLECTIONS make you develop,” the lyrical-philosophical project of Tom A Junge, Nikiré, an artist from Oslo (the lyrical-philosophical project of Tom A.Junge), presents a piece that is meditative, and not a song, but rather a spiritual turning point. As a third chapter in a trilogy rooted in Nikiréism, this track profoundly expands the artist's journey of exploring morals, divinity, and the delicate, indispensable nature of the inner work of personal growth. While the previous works pointed to the establishment of truths and a cosmic calm, this new song makes the listener directly experience the act of reflection, the very instant when thought transforms into guidance.
The song depends on ambient sound and slowly elaborated simplicity to hold the philosophical concepts of the lyrics. The track has a softness, a purposeful slowness which reflects the inner movements the track invites. Nikiré treats voice almost like a lantern, helping, shedding light, never forcing. It is a careful balance between poetic intimacy and spiritual universality.
The song pays homage to those intellectual traditions that have influenced the author's (Junge) Stoicism, Christian grace, Zen presence, and the classical call to know oneself. However, it never comes across as a scholarly lecture. Instead, these sources become one with the message that reflection is not a mirror to look into, it’s an exit to go through. The song gently suggests that growth, indeed, requires the qualities of awareness, intention, and the bravery to face one’s self-contempting truth.
One of the main features that makes “REFLECTIONS make you develop” so attractive is its authenticity. It doesn't instruct, nor does it promise metamorphosis. Instead, it sets the stage for reflection, a gentle invitation to stop, breathe, and get in tune with what is real. In a world full of noise, Nikiré does not just give back music, but also listening, which is a very rare thing.
