Release Radar: South African lyricist, vocalist and producer Kwela returns with "Kgalagadi. Not Kalahari” New single acts as a metaphor for imagining oases and fulfilment
South African lyricist, vocalist and producer Kwela returns with a new single"Kgalagadi. Not Kalahari" that employs the Kgalagadi Desert as a metaphor for imagining oases and fulfilment.
"Kgalagadi. Not Kalahari" is a much-needed rain dance between Kwela's vocals and production, Sibusile Xaba's guitar licks and Gontse Makhene's percussion. The song was initialised in Toronto in 2018 as a therapy and music experimentation project. Xaba's guitar was laid down on a sunny day in a garden, and the bongos, playing a Sepedi rhythm by percussionist Makhene, were recorded in Joburg in 2020.
The song is in line with the collective self-affirmation that is We The Beautyful Ones' body of work. “It challenges us to see things and circumstances that are not what they seem to be or we imagine, much like how a desert can be not entirely arid and lifeless but instead occupied with vegetation, wildlife, and human life,” says Kwela.
The word "Kalahari" itself is a bastardisation of "Kgalagadi" and Kwela's new single references the Setswana motto "Pula (Rain), Kgotso (Peace), Nala (Prosperity)!" to wish rain, a sign of blessings in most African cultures, and pure love to the listener.
The music video for "Kgalagadi. Not Kalahari" was filmed in an abandoned and dilapidated mansion in Parktown, Johannesburg, adding a unique visual aesthetic to the song.
Kwela is a versatile lyricist, vocalist, and producer who comes from Soweto via Johannesburg, the City of Gold. Born in 1983, his life and work are a reflection of his influences, inspirations, aspirations, and memory. Kwela’s world of music is unorthodox and visionary, made up of childhood kwaito memories and Le Club subplots, including Joburg poetics, jazz, early 2000s live band scenes, and most of what is considered alternative, whether obscure or conveniently labelled "world music".
In 2004, Kwela joined the renowned band Kwani Experience, inspiring a generation with their bold and unapologetic afro-funk sound and aesthetic. Since then, Kwela has compiled and co-produced projects, including record label consulting and music supervising for television, vocalising the contemporary African experience from a perspective of growing up in, living and walking the streets of Johannesburg, with music that fuses his influences: afro-pop, indigenous music, praise poetry, hip-hop, synth, and electronica.
