There’s a certain kind of softness that stays with you. Like the smell of rain on warm pavement, or a voice humming in the kitchen while something stews. “Be Like A Cloud” is that kind of softness — the kind that lingers. OjiAji, who you might know from his work in the RnB trio Izy or as a session musician for the likes of Joey Bada$$ and Kee’Ahn, brings us something entirely his own here: a gentle offering, equal parts dreamy and grounded.
Built on a loose, looping jazz chord progression, the song feels both ancient and new — like it could’ve been recorded last night or found on a dusty reel from the ‘70s. That voice, filtered and wrapped in reverb, draws you in close, while the slide guitar slinks around like it’s telling a joke only it knows. There are definite shades of Connan Mockasin and Hether in its off-centre charm, but there’s also something unmistakably personal here. Something you can’t trace back to references — just lived experience and intent.
The details matter. There’s the low-key shuffle of The Pro-Teens’ Hudson Whitlock on drums, all brushed edges and restraint. The mellotron from Jake Amy floats in like a daydream. And the message? Well, it’s right there in the title: Be like a cloud. Be soft. Be present. Drift alongside someone else’s storm without trying to fix it. It’s a deceptively light song about heavy things — the kind of emotional support that asks nothing, just exists, quiet and full of care.
About OjiAji:
It all ties back to OjiAji’s own story — born in Kashima, Japan, raised between cultures and continents, and now rooted in Naarm/Melbourne. There’s a long thread that runs through his music: care. Whether through food, stories, or songs, he’s always making space — gentle ones, communal ones. “Love & Company”, his upcoming debut solo album, is steeped in this same ethos. And if “Be Like A Cloud” is anything to go by, we’re in for something nourishing.
Follow OjiAji: