After spending a year in the performance circuit and the release of his E.P ‘Bloom’, the ‘Flawa Boy’ sound has definitely come of Age granted the vocal mastery evident in the new Single release dubbed ‘Jaherana’. Dholuo for ‘My Love’ the song texture is light and pleasing as ‘Kuiyu’ throws in dynamic vocal isms that rhyme and gel with the tracks idiom.
Definitely one for the dancefloor, or in this COVID-19 times, your living room-come-disco floor; ‘JAHERANA’ is an energy-filled magnet that draws you in by the second with honest lyrical confessions through the opening verse and sets your mood to an Afro-House high by the time you reach the catchy chorus and by the time you peak at the climax, chanting to ‘Ikhala Nase’ (Luhya for ‘Stay with Me’) should come easy as you cling on to the final note.
“Blending Swahili, English, Dholuo and even Luhya chants in the song lyric was a deliberate choice. Most of my more popular previous releases have been in my native dialect ‘Kikuyu’. In a bid to understand the world better, I’m especially captured by other languages and cultures, there’s a way language on its own can be very revealing''- Exclaims Kuiyu.
Adding ''In a world where we are constantly consuming overly romanticized western media, there remains a gap to create representative content in which we, Africans, see ourselves, articulate our mannerisms and battle with the discomfort of some of our own nuances.”
Devout followers of ‘Kuiyu’s’ work would instantly recognize the groove in the song as it first appeared on his Debut project ‘Kionjo’ as ‘Timamu’.
A collaborative effort, ‘Jaherana’ includes recording, mixing and mastering credits from ‘Son Of A Beat’ A.K.A Kibby A Freak of www.kibbyafreak.com. The original track was produced at Crystalline Media and features arrangements from Karanja Kiarie.
The Official Music Video, available Here, was directed by PKG. Inc. Shot in the idyllic beaches of Bagamoyo, Tanzania and the towns of Mombasa city, features shots of ‘Kuiyu’ in different scenes colored with his authentic expressions that invite the audience to a fun escapade in the coastal experience highlighting frames of travel and festival activity at the 2019 ‘ONGALA MUSIC FESTIVAL’.
