Ninj turns pain into power on the reflective new single "Vibes"

There’s a sort of human pathos running throughout Ninj's new release, "Vibes." This is a record that meditates on the good old days, those fleeting moments halfway between when we don’t yet realize we’re living and when they’re already gone. If you scratch the surface, underneath the sentiment, there’s something more profound, more personal, and very real.

"Vibes" is not only a record of memories, it’s also a recognition of the painful truth that time marches on whether we’re ready for it or not. Ninj captures the universality of looking back to better days while remaining grounded in the present, knowing that nothing, neither the good nor the bad, is forever. The production has a reflective feel, letting the emotion breathe rather than obscuring the message. It feels lived-in, not manufactured.

This track holds a special place because it's dedicated to KIMO SALAKIELU, who was Ninj’s good mate, but unfortunately, he was shot dead by his own mother. That unfathomable loss rests quietly yet powerfully at the song’s root. You can feel the mourning, the disorientation, and the sobering clarity that the world is simultaneously beautiful and brutally unforgiving.

Instead of letting bitterness metastasize into fury, Ninj transforms it into remembering. He respects friendship, shared history, and the frailty of life. There’s an honesty at work here that simply cannot be faked, and a sound as well, where someone dealing with that loss also refuses to stay put.

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