M.I.A. is ready to take on the scene with her fourth highly-anticipated new album. The singer is on top with her collaboration with Madonna and this new track. The video treatment for “Bad Girls” was filmed in Morocco and is inspired by the Arab Spring. Lovely, we wonder if she is calling her new album after her child or a sibling…
Tag Archives: africa
Exclusive: 5 Questions With Loft965.com: Lira
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1. Greetings from Kuwait! Loft965.com picked “Phakade” and “Mali” as a “Sexy Tracks” of 2011! How do you feel about that and what do you think the rest of the year holds for you?
Amazing, I did not expect that the African songs would resonate but I think this is very exciting! Thank you! I’m going to spend the rest of the year taking advantage of Southern African Festival season so that I can reach more fans.
2. As of now, “Mali” is constantly on our stereos! Will it ever get released as a single?
It is currently one of our singles in South Africa.
3. You just released an EP for your American audience. Are you planning on launching your new album there and when will it be?
I’m planning to launch a full album titled Rise Again in early 2012 and then follow it up with a tour from the end of January. The album is a combination of tracks from Feel Good, Soul in Mind but mainly containing new tracks from my Return to Love album.
4. Are you going on tour? What will be your next single?
Yes my tour will span over the entire North America and it will be 60 days long!
5. We love quotes, what is your favorite quote or motto?
I post so many on my twitter and facebook page periodically. My favourite one from this week is “Jealousy is the art of counting someone else’s blessings instead of your own.”
And we are off to Cape Town now! For reals!
Loft965.com Chart: Week 39 of 2011
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- 1. Lucky Day – Nicola Roberts
- 2. Ouch That Hurt – Dionne Bromfield
- 3. Game Over – Daley
- 4. Moon – Bjork
- 5. Not My Daddy – Kelly Price
- 6. Jolene – Lay Low
- 7. So Into You – Ledisi
- 8. I – Nicola Roberts
- 9. Carry – Tori Amos
- 10. Mali – Lira
Introducing… Fatoumata Diawara
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Fatoumata Diawara (aka Fatou) was born of Malian parents in the Ivory Coast in 1982. As a child she became a member of her father’s dance troupe and was a popular performer of the wildly flailing didadi dance from Wassoulou, her ancestral home in western Mali. She was an energetic and headstrong girl and at the age of twelve her refusal to go to school finally prompted her parents to send her to live and be disciplined by an aunt in Bamako. She was not to see her parents again for over a decade.
Loft965.com Chart: Week 36 of 2011
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- 1. Ouch That Hurt – Dionne Bromfield
- 2. Not My Daddy – Kelly Price
- 3. Game Over – Daley
- 4. Ever After – Emily King
- 5. Marathon – Tennis
- 6. Mali – Lira
- 7. Down – Emily King
- 8. Moves Like Jagger – Maroon 5
- 9. So Into You – Ledisi
- 10. Marathon – Tennis
Lira performs “Believer” live in Los Angeles!
Lira performs “Phakade” live!
1Lira’s fourth album Return To Love just made it to our desk last night and we are very excited to review this South African soultress’s latest.
Video Premiere: “Kenya” by Solange Knowles
1Any new music from the lesser-known Knowles is wanted and needed. In our eyes, her sophomore album is one of the greatest pop-soul records on earth. ”"Kenya” is a track created by Chris Taylor (CANT), Solange Knowles and Twin Shadow to raise money and awareness around the issue of access to water and sanitation as part of The Replenish Africa Initiative (RAIN) founded by The Coca Cola Africa Foundation. RAIN brings together business, local government, NGO“s and committed individuals to tackle the problem of access to water and sanitation in Africa. All proceeds from ‘Kenya”, will be used to provide clean water and sanitation resources to Africa’s most needy. Whether that’s providing loos in Rwanda, rain harvesting roofs in Uganda or carrying containers in the Cameroon.”
Sahara Davenport debuts “Pump With Me”
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We like it. It’s very summer-breezy, naked music kind tune. Click below to listen to a snippet.
Lira sings “Rise Again” live in Durban!
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Lira on the cover of Fair Lady magazine!
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Must-Watch: Video Premiere: “Phakade” by Lira
2We have been waiting for this for a long long time. It’s here and this is a condensed version. Lovely balladry that brings the African wind right back to our memories. Lira is on a roll and will not stop at anything, this is just breathtaking, too bad you can only purchases it in South Africa.
Lira performs “Hamba” live!
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Exclusive: Official cover of Lira’s “Return To Love”
Loft965.com is very happy to be the first blog on earth to bring to your the cover of Lira’s new album.
Lira had an exceptional 2010 – becoming the first South African artist to release a live music concert on Blu-ray and selling multi-platinum numbers of her live DVD.
Now, early 2011, sees the multi-award winning artist return with a brand new studio album that’s nothing short of extraordinary – and a fitting calling card for Lira’s much-anticipated breakthrough onto the global music stage.
Titled Return To Love – Lira’s fourth studio album is a masterful record that draws together everything that Lira has worked for since she first embarked on her music career – at first tentatively with her 2003 debut and, from 2006’s Feel Good onwards, with mounting confidence in her singular abilities.
Lira to release new single titled “Phakade”
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Lira has just tweeted that her new single from her fourth full-length album is going to be titled “Phakade.” Sony Music Africa is readying it up. Let’s hope that it gets a great video treatment, which is what we are used to from our South African export. For those of you who do not know this great chanteuse, she is probably one of the greatest vocalists of our time and has a brand of music that will put you in a lovely mood instantly. Last April we stopped by South Africa on our way to Zambia only to find out that her live CD/DVD was sold out from all stores. It’s been a while since we heard of a music release that has been sold out in its physical form. Check her out, you won’t be disappointed. Also, we need some Sesotho translators to tell us what the title means.
Video Premiere: “Quiet Nice People” by Ida Maria
Not big fans of Ida Maria, mostly because we think she verges on noise more than music. But her song “Keep Me Warm” is beautiful tune ad if this is any indication to what direction she is heading to on her new album Katla then it’s all good.
Don’t Quote Me, Vol. 461
“There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered.”
Lira’s DVD goes double platinum in South Africa
Video Premiere: “Everywhere You Go” by Kelly Rowland featuring Africa United
Lira opens up the World Cup in South Africa
This was the only thing we were looking forward to about the whole opening ceremony. The performance by Johannesburg native and personal favorite Lira. We love her and we hop she gets more exposure because she is one of the best artists in South Africa right now.
