“Show & Tell” and Show Out: Akai Marje Reclaims Her Crown with a Groove-Heavy Comeback
- Jordyn Mayes
- Aug 9
- 4 min read
Fusing Afrobeat, neo-soul, and R&B, Akai Marje’s “Show & Tell” is a rhythmic rebirth and a bold reminder she’s not here to follow trends, she’s here to lead them.
Two years might feel like a long time in the age of endless scrolls and streaming fatigue, but for Akai Marje, time was never the enemy. It was the ingredient.
The Atlanta-based multi-hyphenate—poet, singer, model, and ballroom darling—has returned with a sound that doesn’t beg for attention. It commands it. Her new single, “Show & Tell,” isn’t just a reintroduction. It’s a reclamation.
A Loud Return That Started in Quiet
Long before “Show & Tell” was shaking dance floors from Jacksonville to downtown ATL, it lived in limbo. The original version, as Akai remembers, was beautiful but unsure. Too slow. Too safe. And when a trusted ear in the industry dismissed it, she shelved it without fanfare.
But she didn’t forget it.
Time passed. She traveled, worked, walked away, and came back. And when she reconnected with her producer, @TheySaidTrill, the track was ready for resurrection. This time, she had a vision: something house-adjacent, Afrobeat-laced, flirty but rooted. What Trill sent back was exactly that, a percussive, layered groove with softness in equal parts.
“When I heard it with the harmonies stacked, my waist was already moving,” she says now, “I just knew. This is the one.”
From Florida Soul to Atlanta Swag
Born in Florida and currently engulfed by Atlanta’s creative pulse, Akai’s journey isn’t just geographical, it’s emotional. Florida gave her roots. Atlanta gave her wings. And between the two, she built the permission structure to explore what she calls her “genre-blurring self.”
Moving between cities helped her see possibility in a new way. It unboxed her, encouraged her to try everything, and gave her the confidence to bring her full identity—Black, femme, fluid, poetic—into her work. You hear that evolution in “Show & Tell,” which pulses with the self-assured energy of an artist who’s no longer waiting for approval.
She’s not chasing trends, timelines, or TikTok hits. This isn’t about a rollout. It’s a rollout of self.
Sexy, Flirty, Free: The “Show & Tell” Era
What makes “Show & Tell” click isn’t just the beat, it’s the attitude.
It’s confident. It’s cheeky. It’s got movement in its bones.
“It’s sexy. It’s flirty. It’s fun,” she says, not with explanation, but confirmation. “I want people to hear it and feel free. Free to dance. Free to feel themselves.”
And that freedom is catching on. DJs have started spinning it across the Southeast, and clips of fans grooving to the beat are trickling in. But for Akai, the real win isn’t virality, it’s resonance.
“If I can get a room full of people singing my lyrics back to me? That’s everything.”
Poetry, Performance, and Purpose
At her core, Akai Marje isn’t just a singer—she’s a storyteller. A poet. A performer in every sense. Her music may standout with production and rhythm, but it’s still anchored in narrative. She calls it “lyrical intimacy.” The kind that gets under your skin without asking for permission.
Her musicality is rooted in emotion—realness, flirtation, rebirth. But it’s never surface-level. “Show & Tell” may sound like a party, but it’s also a power move: a declaration of control, reborn confidence, and spiritual survival.
“I sat with that track for over a year. And it changed with me,” she reflects. “Now it’s the version of me I’ve been waiting to introduce.”
Beyond the Studio: Commanding Rooms & Runways
When she’s not in the booth, Akai is commanding attention in other spaces... on camera and on ballroom floors. Modeling taught her posture. Ballroom gave her presence. Together, they’ve helped her hold space not just as an artist, but as an energy.
“Modeling helped me learn my body. Ballroom helped me command a room. Now when I hit the stage, I'm unstoppable.”
That confidence is propelling her into a packed fall calendar: a visualizer for “Show & Tell” drops alongside the single, setting the tone for what’s to come. On August 15, she will headline Beats & Ballads, followed by an opening set for Florida artist Quail904 the very next night. Then in September, she is releasing a five-track EP, her most cohesive body of work to date.
Building in Atlanta, Breathing on Her Own Time
Akai’s relationship with Atlanta runs deep. It has become more than a city, it’s a village, a feedback loop, a source of creative gravity. Here, collaboration isn’t transactional. It’s tribal. And that culture has shaped her fiercely independent path.
“People outside of Atlanta don’t always understand how collaborative this place is. There’s so much love, so much generosity,” she says. “So many of my opportunities came from just showing up and being shown love in return.”
Still, she’s learned when to withdraw. To log off. To be still.
“Sometimes the best way to stay tapped in is to stay home,” she says. “You can’t pour from an empty cup.”
Manifestations and Main Character Energy
In the midst of her reawakening, Akai Marje is staying grounded. We asked her what advice would she give the younger version of herself.
If she could go back, she’d offer a simple mantra:
“Be consistent. Trust yourself. Take your time.”
Today, her musical Mount Rushmore includes Anderson.Paak, Beyoncé, Janelle Monáe, and Thundercat—artists who, like her, blur genre, bend expectations, and live out loud. Her summer anthem? Cherry’s Main Character. Fitting.
As for her most controversial take? She doesn’t hold back:
“We need to bring back gatekeeping,” she says with a laugh and a raised eyebrow. “Some people don’t respect the craft. If you don’t know who Roscoe Dash is… just be quiet.”
A Renaissance, Not a Comeback
Akai Marje isn’t interested in being the moment. She’s building a movement with intention. “Show & Tell” is just the first spark.
“This new music is me,” she says. “Funky, jazzy, Afro-Caribbean, all of it. It’s personal, like a baby I’m ready to share with the world.”
And what’s she manifesting for this next era?
“Money,” she says bluntly. “More money. To fund the dream. To keep going.”
With a record like “Show & Tell,” and a presence that can’t be ignored, the dream is already well underway.
Follow Akai Marje on Instagram @akaimarje and Stream “Show & Tell” on all platforms.
Catch her live in ATL this August.
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