It’s been a decade since Shakira’s chartbuster ‘Waka Waka’ for the FIFA World Cup rocked the world. For me, it was an introduction to Zolani and by extension Freshlyground, the South African band. While African music itself is a very popular genre dominated by its distinct beats and rhythm, it was soothing vocals of Zolani that caught many unawares.
Of course, what followed was the discovery of their wonderful music and similar artists in the music charts dominated by European and American singers/ bands. My favorite track from the band is ‘Be my love when the fire is low…‘ but other tracks are as soulful.
Also check out their ‘Pot Belly’ and ‘I’d like’ and of course, ‘Doo Be Doo,’ it won’t leave humming on your lips for a couple of days.
While on the topic of Africa, stumbled upon Sona Jobarteh and the magic called Kora – the mix of lute and harp. It’s interesting for both eyes and ears.
In the Indian section, I present the Suman Sridhar. It was a late-night work and I remembered a tune, but I was still to find the words – then image of Kareena Kapoor came to mind, and some search online fetched me ‘Muskaanein Jhooti Hai’ from Talaash (2012).
It again led me to her other renditions like ‘Hawa Hawai‘ from Shaitaan and ‘Khoya Khoya Chand (Bartender mix)‘ having her very distinct voice. As one of the comments on YouTube pointed out, you can either love it or hate it, there’s no in between.
Happy YouTubin!
Parth Shastri Archive 