The song blends the traditions of both musicians, interweaving the Hebrew words of Psalm 27 with Zulu praise.
Some might argue that a collaboration between Hebrew and Maskandi music would have been unimaginable even 30 years ago, when Nelson Mandela became South Africa's first democratic president.
But the latest collaboration by duos Braindi and Matt and Mbuzeni showcases the country's diversity.
“We don't speak the same language, but as soon as he came in the studio, we realized the barriers weren't that much of an issue because we were able to communicate through sharing music,” said Brady Klawanski, one half of the duo. The Citizen.
They wrote this song Al Tastar With Maskundi artist Mbuzeni. “It was a great experience for me even though I had to explain every single lyric of the song to make sure everyone understood,” Mbuzeni said.
The song, released in the last week of August, blends the traditions of the two musicians, interweaving words from the Hebrew Psalm 27 with Zulu praise songs.
“I find it more interesting to work with people who are different from me, who come from different backgrounds, but whose musical talent I respect and admire,” Krawanski asserted.
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Seamless Process
This is not their first collaboration. In 2023, they Ro Shira (Ungasabi) It's also an inspiring song that blends both styles.
“Working with Mbuzeni was a really great experience as the process for both songs was very smooth.”
“This wasn't the first time we worked together so I think we got more used to each other and our chemistry was better,” Mbuzeni said.
“It doesn't happen naturally, there's a lot of work behind the scenes, but overall, working with Mbuzeni and having Matt as producer has been an absolutely amazing and humbling experience,” Krawanski said, commenting on the chemistry between the musicians.
“Collaboration is important. The guitar is a very versatile instrument so working with Braindi and Matt allows me to learn things I didn't know before,” Mbuzeni said.
of Khuzani The singer hopes to see more collaborations between himself, Braindy and Matt: “I'd love to continue working with them as we do different styles of music and are all fair when it comes to music ownership.”
Maskandi artists are gearing up to perform in Hong Kong next month.
“The last time I performed abroad before the COVID-19 pandemic was in India. I am looking forward to bringing 'Maskandi' to India, a show that people love.”
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Third album
Klawanski released his debut album Hareruka In 2011, she signed with Ruth Avenue Studios, where her husband Matt is director.
In 2018 she released Ruth Ave, which was nominated for Best Alternative Album at the South African Music Awards (SAMA) in 2019. The album also won a global music award in 2021.
Recently Released Al TastarBraindy and Matt have released a new single. Take me to Woody Cape.
“'Take Me Back to Woody Cape' is something we've been working on for a while and represents the spectacular, otherworldly places in the Eastern Cape that we travelled to in 2019,” she said.
The pair hope to make the song the opening track on their upcoming third album.
Earlier this year, Klawanski was elected as a voting member of the Recording Academy.
Your membership allows you to participate in the Grammy Awards process, including submitting music for Grammy consideration, suggesting rule changes to the awards process, and voting for Grammys.
“What this induction means is that there is a certain status that people will see and recognize me as a member of the Academy,” she said at the time.
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