Sauti Sol to release fifth album in June
Afro pop band Sauti Sol will release their fifth studio album Midnight Train on June 5, 2020.
This is the group’s first major label record since signing with Universal Music Africa, a pact that was officially announced in end of January this year.
The album features songs such as Brighter Days, Suzanna and Disco Matanga.
Brighter Days, for instance, is a motivational and spiritually uplifting anthem featuring South African Grammy Award winning Soweto Gospel Choir.
The sing-along praise song single reaffirms one should not be weary or in despair, but focus on the promise of 'brighter days'. It spreads positivity and encouragement across different nations in a time when it is needed most.
The accompanying video, directed by Ofentse Mwase of OM Films, was shot in South Africa in Johannesburg’s historic main studio, Downtown Music Hub.
Recorded between Los Angeles in California, Johannesburg (South Africa) and Nairobi, Midnight Train demonstrates the bands songwriting and producing skills with electric energy and new rhythms.
The album’s theme is centred around enjoying the journey of life, but also embracing the hustles and the trials that come with it.
Special and notable features on the album include American singer and songwriter India Arie on sensual track My Everything and Nigeria's Burna Boy on Time Flies.
“Time Flies is inspired by Burna Boy’s increased journey. A lot can happen in a year with dedication,” says Sauti Sol's Bien.
Disco Matanga (Yambakhana), the official soundtrack to Netflix’s first African Original series Queen Sono, is the most recent collaborative release to come in the form of Sho Madjozi and Black Motion.
Polycarp shares: “They were on our list of musicians we wanted to collaborate with, and it finally came to pass. We love South African music and it is one of the sweetest artistic heritages on the continent.”
He adds: “There is a lot of maturity in the album. We have come of age and we express how people should perceive us freely after 11 years as professional singers. Every song speaks to an issue that is relatable to everyone.”
Other songs include Insecure, Feel My Love, Nenda Lote, Wake Up ft Mortimer, Sober and Rhumba Japani ft Kaskazini, Bensoul, Xenia, Nviiri the Storyteller, Okello Max and NHP
