Indie-pop star Majozi is ending 2023 on a high-note.
The musician recently released “A Great Exchange”, his first full-length album in five years.
After being way from the limelight for a while, the star made a remarkable return earlier this year, when he released not one, but three singles by June.
The fourth, “Mi Amor”, in which he teamed up with “Senzeni” hitmaker Mthandazo Gatya, released in August.
Now the South African Music Award-winning artist is offering fans the long-awaited album.
“For an album to be coercive you need a bit of life experience, you need to pull from what’s happened in your life and in the last five years I’ve got married, we’ve been through Covid.
“There’s been a lot that’s happened in my life, that’s given me a lot of content to sing about, so yeah, it’s been worth it,” said Majozi.
Throughout the 15 track album, which has been two years in the making, Majozi explores love, vulnerability and reflection.
On this album Majozi specifically focused on being as honest as he could be throughout the writing process.
Writers Will Linley, Levi Rowan, Steve McKellar and Amy Lilley helped on a few songs.
“I just wanted to be as honest as I could be in my writing, and approach each session with a blank page and allow the space for the music to write itself, with me just being a passenger along the way.
“What came out is up for listeners’ own interpretation but, for me, I found that a lot of them were conversations with God and vice versa.”
“A Great Exchange” features producers such as Ewald Jansen van Rensburg, Loki Rothman, Dolf, Mikhaela Faye and Greg Abrahams.
With each of them bringing their own uniqueness to the songs, Majozi said it was “a great pleasure to work with all these brilliant minds”.
He added: “I chose the name ‘A Great Exchange’ because this is the most people I've ever worked with on a project, creatively.
“There's something special about creating with others. There’s an openness that happens, an exchange of ideas, and emotions that's really powerful and hard to describe.
“It's something great and almost spiritual. This project is an exchange of all that and more, and ultimately this is my exchange to God, as well as offering to God if you will.”
Speaking of love, which one of the main themes on the album, he shared that his understanding of it now is far greater than before.
“I think I understand the concept of love way more now than when I started, and I'm much more open to working with others and just allowing the music to come rather than trying to force it out.
“Maybe I'm more mature, but I'm also still the same in a lot of ways.”
The offering features songs like, “I’ll Be There”, “Keep It Open”, “Time Traveller”, “Far Away”, “Afterglow” featuring Mikhaela Faye, “Reason” featuring Early B, “Mi Amor” featuring Mthandazo Gatya, “Honest”, “Safe In The Sound”, “Call My Name” and “Mamalodi”, featuring Loki Rothman and Hunter Kennedy.
Speaking on “Far Away”, which is a fun, dance, sing-along track that serves as the perfect anthem for the summer, he said: “I think I had just come back from my honeymoon and felt like writing about how awesome it is just to get out of the business of the world and go far away with someone you love.
“Ewald Jansen van Rensburg came up with a beautiful melody for the chorus and I enlisted the skills of the amazing Canadian, Levi Rowan, for some help on the verses.”
Majozi added that he is extremely happy and privileged to share this album with his fans.
“I really hope these songs speak to you in whatever stage you are in your life, wherever you are in the world. This is my great exchange to you.
“I’m just a vessel tasked with the honour of presenting you with this art, because I can truly say that we share in this together. This album isn’t mine. It’s ours.”
∎ “A Great Exchange” is available on all major streaming platforms.