'Wangu We' means ‘your mine’ in Swahili, the lingua franca of East Africa, and the birthplace of this, my debut album… All the songs are mine and tell a story and place a marker in my growing musical journey. My musical inspirer Budi and I were sitting on the shores of Lake Tanganyka in Burundi, Central Africa and composed the type of song I have always wanted to sing. Suma Rakk (my brother) Bashir Dia produced the title song in Burundi. The song was inspired by my feelings for a nice guy, but I was too afraid to let him know, but in a song I could express: “I want to take your hand, and place it where my love—burns the most for you”.

The African continent is my engine, my fuel, my cocoon for my creativity and where I have called home for the last 15 years. It was my work in humanitarian assistance that has brought me there, but it is the music that inspires me to stay. It is where I feel the most comfortable. My mother will tell you I have always sang from the shower to being a two-time winner at the Ama