Simphiwe Dana is the latest musician to delay the release of her new album ‘Bamako’ due to the virus.
The Covid-19 coronavirus has taken a massive toll on the global music industry. Many artists have announced that they will be delaying the release of their upcoming records – and it’s proven to be true in the local landscape as well.
In a recent interview, Simphiwe revealed that she didn’t want to rob her fans of the experience that comes with the live performances she would have done – despite the fact that there will be financial repercussions by doing so.
“It has been very frustrating to have to push back the release again, especially because the album should have been released last year already. And, it’s going to cost me so much, but what can I do?” she says. “I have been blessed to have the most amazing fans that often connect with me or my music so deeply and spiritually that the traditional launch of any project I do matters to them.”
The star added that “I think it’s beautiful how my fans learn the lyrics and sing back to me at a live performance, it’s such an amazing thing to experience and I definitely can’t take that away from them. So, I’ll just grin and bear (the pain) of holding on to this music until the time is right.”
Simphiwe said that as the world, and the music space especially, continues to move into a digital space, she considered doing an online release of the record but eventually decided against it.
The star names the album ‘Bamako’ after the capital city of Mali where she eventually found herself putting the final touches on the project. “The album was actually done but I wanted to add some flavor to it and luckily my label allowed me to go there and work with the musicians there. I wanted a collaboration of sorts, with another culture,” she says.
Meanwhile, the star is currently promoting the record’s latest single ‘Uzokhala’ which gives fans a glimpse of what they can expect on the upcoming record.
While there is no release date just yet – Simphiwe has promised to update fans as soon as a decision has been made.