Soul singer, songwriter and Tusker Project Fame alum, Mayonde, has released her new EP called Start Again.
This new release comes after a string of singles including “Nairobi”, “Kama Kawaida”, “Energy” alongside Muthoni the drummer Queen and “Raha” featuring Polaris.
While Mayonde hasn’t delivered her new music project in some time, she has been active on a variety of live music stages. The latest the Blankets and Wine festival in which she performed this past weekend (April 7).
Speaking about her new project, Mayonde says the title explains what the EP is about.
“The inspiration behind Start Again was picking myself up after the burnout caused by chasing a pop career and coming to a place where I wanted to focus on making music that flowed freely from my spirit.
“I had tried to crack the market and make what I thought would make me a famous artist, and I lost my passion.
“Start Again is about being my most authentic self and falling in love with music anew.”
The project is an exploration of the genres that influenced her growing up including Pop, Reggae, R&B, and Hip Hop. This mix and match of genres is what she calls the Nairobi bounce.
Some of the stand out songs on the EP include “My Blessings”, “More & More”, “Cruising” and “Celebration”. Mayonde’s sparkly and powerful vocals make it an easy EP to jam and dance to.
While tying all her influences together, Mayonde blended South African House and West African Afrobeat elements and sprinkled them into the EP, creating a fresh and versatile sound.
With this rebirth, she wishes to share an authentic part of herself, entertain her fans, and create timeless music.
“It took about 4 months to write and produce the music on the EP, all while I was pregnant and creating life, and that was quite challenging, but altogether, it was such a spiritual and uplifting experience,” says Mayonde.
