Uyelele finally here
With his seventh studio album aptly titled Uyelele finally out, veteran Sunny Boy is gunning for a major piece of the pie.
Many people have been waiting for Sunny Boy's new album. In an interview with tjil he explained that it took long because the lead single Young, Wild and Free was received so well, he decided to let people consume it without it being compared to other songs on the album.
He knew the song was a hit but he did not anticipate the success of the track. He believes this is the right time for the album to be released because the demand for it sufficient.
“My team and I knew Young, Wild and Free is a great song but we did not expect it to be as big as it is, so we decided to postpone the album release to this year. An album has numerous songs, so we did not want this great single to clash with other great songs,” Sunny Boy said.
“The longer we gave it, the bigger it became. We just had to wait for a while and we feel now is the right time to release the complete project, because the demand for it grew; people were asking for it we just had to finally share it.”
On what the album is about, the Hikwa pioneer said Uyelele is a music project that speaks to both young people and the older generation. He wants people to enjoy the album and not be tense while listening to it. Sunny Boy describes Uyelele as a very good album for outings and believes it will help people make memories. However, he takes pride in being a lyricist and an intellectual, so he mentioned that the body of work is also packed with thought-provoking songs. “There is a song called Pressure on this album and it is a typical Sunny Boy song. I couldn't make an album without making songs that address pertinent issues,” he said.
Sunny Boy added that the album probes themes including love at first sight, lust, coping with difficult life situations and having fun.
“The album is a full package that caters for everybody - young and old - and I am very excited, and believe it will resonate well with many of my fans.”
As cliché as it may sound, the Young, Wild and Free hit-maker maintains that this is his best body of work. Differentiating it from his previous offerings, he said on this album you can sense his growth, maturity and confidence have no limits on this project. The process of making Uyelele has boosted his poise and eliminated the worries and anxieties of expressing himself musically. Like many artists, he admitted that he used to stop himself from saying certain things on songs for fear of being judged.
“I am telling it like it is, and expressing myself fully without having to censor myself - that is confidence. I feel more liberated and my state of mind is emancipated. I did what I wanted to do, with no limits, on Uyelele,” Sunny Boy said.
The singer maintains he wants people to be left with the impression that he is the greatest to ever do it in Namibia, despite anything and everybody. His goal is to convince music fans that he is a very talented, eloquent and an artist who cares about his craft. “I sing about my personal experiences, so in a way this is a conduit to let people into my life. After listening to this album you should feel like you had a conversation with Sunny Boy,” he said.
Sharing his thoughts on the state of the Namibian music landscape, he said he is happy it is picking up again, as he believes it was struggling a few years ago. He jokingly attributes the new excitement in the industry to himself for making Young, Wild and Free. “It has been a while since we had a hit in the country that people went crazy over like this. The last time we had a song this huge was the years of Balance, Koko and Baby Don't Go,” he said. He also mentioned that he is impressed with the many people attending music concerts. On the other hand he urged music fans to stop piracy and purchase original CDs or buy the music on digital platforms. For Sunny Boy, buying original music is the ultimate gesture that proves you care about his artistry. “We make a lot of sacrifices for these albums; late nights, we stay away from our families for long periods of time. It is really our blood sweat and tears, so when you just spread the music for free via WhatsApp or Bluetooth it hurts so much, it kills our spirit,” he said.
Uyelele is available at Antonio's Art and Sunny Boy will be having album release parties in different towns, starting with Rundu on Saturday, 1 June. “Antonio's Art has a distribution deal with Engen outlets across the country, so you can get my album at these outlets as well nationwide.
“We will announce the official album launch at a later stage and I promise the music video for Young Wild and Free is coming; it might not be the first video from the album, but it is coming,” Sunny Boy promised.
MICHAEL KAYUNDE
He knew the song was a hit but he did not anticipate the success of the track. He believes this is the right time for the album to be released because the demand for it sufficient.
“My team and I knew Young, Wild and Free is a great song but we did not expect it to be as big as it is, so we decided to postpone the album release to this year. An album has numerous songs, so we did not want this great single to clash with other great songs,” Sunny Boy said.
“The longer we gave it, the bigger it became. We just had to wait for a while and we feel now is the right time to release the complete project, because the demand for it grew; people were asking for it we just had to finally share it.”
On what the album is about, the Hikwa pioneer said Uyelele is a music project that speaks to both young people and the older generation. He wants people to enjoy the album and not be tense while listening to it. Sunny Boy describes Uyelele as a very good album for outings and believes it will help people make memories. However, he takes pride in being a lyricist and an intellectual, so he mentioned that the body of work is also packed with thought-provoking songs. “There is a song called Pressure on this album and it is a typical Sunny Boy song. I couldn't make an album without making songs that address pertinent issues,” he said.
Sunny Boy added that the album probes themes including love at first sight, lust, coping with difficult life situations and having fun.
“The album is a full package that caters for everybody - young and old - and I am very excited, and believe it will resonate well with many of my fans.”
As cliché as it may sound, the Young, Wild and Free hit-maker maintains that this is his best body of work. Differentiating it from his previous offerings, he said on this album you can sense his growth, maturity and confidence have no limits on this project. The process of making Uyelele has boosted his poise and eliminated the worries and anxieties of expressing himself musically. Like many artists, he admitted that he used to stop himself from saying certain things on songs for fear of being judged.
“I am telling it like it is, and expressing myself fully without having to censor myself - that is confidence. I feel more liberated and my state of mind is emancipated. I did what I wanted to do, with no limits, on Uyelele,” Sunny Boy said.
The singer maintains he wants people to be left with the impression that he is the greatest to ever do it in Namibia, despite anything and everybody. His goal is to convince music fans that he is a very talented, eloquent and an artist who cares about his craft. “I sing about my personal experiences, so in a way this is a conduit to let people into my life. After listening to this album you should feel like you had a conversation with Sunny Boy,” he said.
Sharing his thoughts on the state of the Namibian music landscape, he said he is happy it is picking up again, as he believes it was struggling a few years ago. He jokingly attributes the new excitement in the industry to himself for making Young, Wild and Free. “It has been a while since we had a hit in the country that people went crazy over like this. The last time we had a song this huge was the years of Balance, Koko and Baby Don't Go,” he said. He also mentioned that he is impressed with the many people attending music concerts. On the other hand he urged music fans to stop piracy and purchase original CDs or buy the music on digital platforms. For Sunny Boy, buying original music is the ultimate gesture that proves you care about his artistry. “We make a lot of sacrifices for these albums; late nights, we stay away from our families for long periods of time. It is really our blood sweat and tears, so when you just spread the music for free via WhatsApp or Bluetooth it hurts so much, it kills our spirit,” he said.
Uyelele is available at Antonio's Art and Sunny Boy will be having album release parties in different towns, starting with Rundu on Saturday, 1 June. “Antonio's Art has a distribution deal with Engen outlets across the country, so you can get my album at these outlets as well nationwide.
“We will announce the official album launch at a later stage and I promise the music video for Young Wild and Free is coming; it might not be the first video from the album, but it is coming,” Sunny Boy promised.
MICHAEL KAYUNDE
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