DON LAKA PRODUCES FOR SOUL PRINCE
Mbabane – Jazz legend Don Laka has been cooking up a storm for Eswatini’s African Soul Prince’s album titled, ‘Nagogo wayilwa’.
The jazz legend and music guru has been working on an album for local afro soul artist known as the African Soul Prince. The project that has been in the woodworks for a year-and-a-half now has seen releases from the album like ‘Edolobheni’ which featured KrTC. Fans of the prince can also look forward to a single that will be released on July 22. The African Soul Prince, born Gcobani Masuku, is an artist, guitarist and vocalist from Hlatikhulu. The singer had been making noticeable moves in the kingdom before relocating to South Africa. He was a fan favorite in the local spotlight competition. He performed at the Swaziland Music Awards (SWAMA) in 2019.
He shared the stage with The Muffins at The Place. The artist also recently performed at the 2022 Bushfire Festival alongside Don Laka. Masuku rose to South African recognition status after the star posted a number of videos performing with Zahara, while he played guitar. The videos made so much traction on social media that the artist was approached by Amayo Management Agency.
Talent
The South Africa-based entertainment media agency is an award-winning talent platform that houses the likes of Zahara, Kaybee and Joan Siki who are internationally acclaimed names.
When reached for comment, Masuku spoke at length about his new project. “My love for music fused with African sounds comes from my grandmother who was fond of African music. I use music to tell African, cultural tales to the world,” said the local artist. It is no surprise that a jazz legend would want to jump in on any work done by Masuku. Don Laka saw a trait within Masuku that they both shared, which is the ability to reflect on human conditions while also lifting spirits through songs of love, joy and the African culture.
“What I love about this young man is that in his music, he relays a message that doesn’t follow a symphonic theme. It is a culmination of what one has done, and what he’s been working on perfecting for the past year-and-a-half, also telling his grandmothers tales,” said the legend. Don Laka, birth name Donald Mahwetsa Laka, is a South African jazz musician, songwriter and music producer as well as the founder of ‘Kwaai-jazz’. The music guru had received numerous awards including a Grammy nomination for Best World Music CD for producing Hugh Masikela’s ‘Jabulani’ in 2013.
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