Online Reporter
Gift Moyo [email protected]
Budding Afro-house vocalist and musician MJ Sings, born Mncedisi Ncube, is taking his sound beyond the country’s borders with three new tracks created in collaboration with producers from the United States and across Africa.
The singer is preparing to release Phesheya, Santora and Hlala, a trio of Afro-house tracks that he hopes will further position both his music and Zimbabwean talent on the international stage.
With summer approaching in Southern Africa, MJ Sings is promising to bring the heat with the new releases, which add to his growing catalogue and continue his journey as one of the artistes helping to champion the Afrohouse sound in Zimbabwe.
For the vocalist, working with internationally recognised producers has opened up more than just musical opportunities.
“It’s always a surreal moment when I get approached by these producers for collaborative work. I get to learn so much with every project business wise and a better understanding of the consumers that are outside the continent,” he said.
The three collaborations, scheduled for release in August and September, bring together producers from different parts of the world, giving MJ Sings an opportunity to tap into new audiences and sounds.
The first release, Phesheya, was created with American-based producer Nicolas Leger and South African producer Tiiro. The song will be released under American-based record label Malanga Records.
“I’ve got three international Afro-house collaborations lined up for August and September. The first song is called Phesheya, I created that song with American based producer Nicolas Leger and Tiiro from South Africa. The song will be released under an American based record label (Malanga Records).
“The song is a special record as it’s a manifestation of the life I intend to live and a testimony of some of the international doors that are currently opening in my career. The song is scheduled to be released in September,” he said.
His second offering, Santora, sees him join forces with fellow Zimbabwean Afrohouse producer and DJ Tashinga, as well as Cape Town-based Afrohouse producer Bowland.
“The next song is called Santora, which I collaborated with fellow Zimbabwean Afrohouse producer and DJ Tashinga, as well as Cape Town based Afrohouse producer Bowland,” he said.
Perhaps the release MJ Sings is most excited about, however, is Hlala, which reunites him with Moroccan producer Choujaa following their previous collaboration on Mwari. The track is set to be released under Deeproot, a major Afrohouse record label that is home to some of the genre’s prominent names.
“The third song is titled Hlala, which I created with my recent collaborator Choujaa on Mwari. Our follow up song is called Hlala which is pretty much the most anticipated since it will be released under one of the biggest Afro-house record labels (Deeproot), which is home to some of the biggest Afro-house acts such as Francis Mercier, Nitefreak, Ciza, and many more,” he said.
Beyond releasing new music, MJ Sings said the collaborations form part of a deliberate strategy to take Zimbabwean Afro-house to wider audiences and create a place for local talent in the global music market.
“The aim of these projects is to intentionally position ourselves into the international markets and expose the talent that is currently being bred in Zimbabwe,” he said.
While fans await the three releases, MJ Sings also hinted that a larger project could be on the horizon. The musician revealed that he has been working on a collection of songs as he considers the best way to package them into what could become his first official album.
“I’ve got a number of music that I have been working on but we are still trying to figure out the best way to package the songs into a project so expect more music,” he said.
