Tanzanian Transplant; Mzungu Kichaa with East African EP

Mzungu Kichaa has decided it is time to ‘RELAX’… The obscure name, which means the ‘crazy white man’, has reverberated throughout the African continent after the artist debuted in 2009. This release saw an award for Best Upcoming Artist at the African Achievement Awards, a nomination at the Danish Music Awards and a chair behind the judge’s table on the Tanzanian version of X-Factor. Mzungu Kichaa is now ready with a new release, featuring his Tanzanian band Bongo Beat and the eclectic high-energy sweet African dance style that has become their signature.

“As a caucasian male in his early 30s making Tanzanian music, Kichaa’s heritage is probably one of the most obvious things one could be confused about when his lyrics are in Swahili, however most of the other artists he is surrounded by are natives from African countries. This implies no contradiction as his efforts show what is truly essential to making music. Neither the colour of your skin nor the country you were born in are relevant. Transporting messages that are not rooted in or bound to a particular space, but that could stem from everywhere and that put an emphasis on respecting each other and building on our common humanity - free of locality. Kichaa creates a concept of belonging that revolves around belonging to people, to your friends and loved ones, and not to some narrow concept of nationality. Belonging as a feeling and not as an obvious and logical rationality is what his music and his alias represent”. – Culture Trip

“Jamati Online: You perform in Kiswahili. What was the reason for choosing to do so?

I chose to release my debut album in Kiswahili, even though I also compose many songs in English, because, I wanted to show my skills and knowledge of the Tanzanian scene by creating something unique that represented my history and involvement with Tanzanian music. I also decided not to be driven by commercial factors. I had no expectations of the album in terms of success or sales. I wasn’t concerned about any of that, I just wanted to create. Thankfully the album has been very well received the world over which shows that it pays to follow your heart and do what you want to do and not what the industry expects you to do”. – Jamati Online

The first song on the new EP, Together as One, features Karen Mukupa from Denmark and Juma Nature from Tanzania who are both veterans in their respective countries. “It is a pure pleasure to have them both on this track, which to me represents one of the most important processes of building a cultural bridge that connects cultures and respect for the universal struggle that youth face world wide… to have a voice and to be heard.” The second song Relax Your Mind is a feel good reggae song that Mzungu Kichaa hopes his fans will use to keep their spirits high for the rest of the year. The third song Sina Makosa is a fusion of a number of styles and is a reworked composition of Les Wanyika’s song, with Mzungu Kichaa’s signature guitar playing, fused with elements from urban dancehall and the pan African genre of soukous that can be traced back to independence. Hold On, is a love song and a message to take it easy and not to rush into new relationships. “This EP represents our journey as a band. It was important for me to get some of the magic that has developed during live-concerts. For that I would like to thank my Tanzanian warriors. The songs have been recorded in a number of studios during our international tours with drum tracking that we have taken back to Caravan Records in Dar es Salaam and continued working on until we felt that they were ready to be released. Now all we can do is release it and let the music live a life of its own….”

Mzungu Kichaa’s debut album TUKO PAMOJA (2009) captured our attention with his distinctive singing, which was strictly in Swahili. The release experienced a big following on the world music scene, particulary among the African Diaspora and of course in East Africa. On this new release, the collaboration with one of Denmark’s top sound engineers, Flemming Rasmussen, who amongst others has produced the first four Metallica albums, has given it that extra edge.