Seven months ago I came across the music video after being sucked into a YouTube blackhole. The video was Muzi’s "Zulu Skywalker" song which is a single off his 2018 album, "Afrovision."
Being no stranger to Muzi’s work, having first been introduced to him when he collaborated with Yanga Yaya on their hit "Desire," I found myself listening to "Zulu Skywalker" on repeat. The song has no lyrics but the video shows a black girl who is interested in astronomy and space. It's not an image we see every day and that in itself speaks to Muzi’s unorthodox approach to his music.
The star, who combines Afrobeats, hip-hop, electronic music, kwaito, and other genres has just released his latest single, which is a rework of the iconic Margaret Singana song, "We Are Growing."
"For my sets, I usually remix old South African songs and I remixed We Are Growing and it sounded very good so I decided to work on it and release it as a single,” said Muzi.
Although some might consider it a risk reworking iconic songs from the past, for Muzi, reworking old songs give him the ability to retell the stories of artists he grew up looking up to. “I am not trying to change the original song or flip the script I am just adding to it so that my generation knows about these great songs that were produced before our time”, he said.
Muzi started making waves in the industry when he released his debut album Boom Shaka in 2016. He then released an EP titled "Fire FX."
"My music is a reflection of who I am. An honest expression of what it means to be a modern African kid. We have western influences but we still respect/practice and remain true to our roots, traditions, and culture. Two worlds have met and both play an important role. I hope my music gets that message across", he said.
Muzi also has a new EP coming up that fans can look forward to. "I have started mastering the tracks already so it’s all coming together. The EP will pay homage to traditional South African music with a contemporary feel," he said.
Before releasing the EP the self-taught DJ is off to London and France on tour. "People in Europe want to hear our music and they love what I produce which is great. It’s just about continuing to push South African music because people really do love it," he said.
"We Are Growing" the Muzi Rework is available on digital platforms.