The single announces the follow up to the Kenyan artist’s critically acclaimed We Cut Keys While You Wait.
Blinky Bill is a pillar of the alternative Kenyan music scene. His studio regularly hosts actors and activists from the vibrant Nairobi art community, and has been the recording space for his debut Everyone’s Just Winging It And Other Fly Tales and many other projects. His new video “Ama Aje” sees him gather with other fellow creatives on a Nairobi rooftop, resulting in fun and dancing visuals showcasing the city’s trendy youth. The song features kenyan singer, songwriter, arranger and producer Lisa Oduor Noah, and seems to be taken from an upcoming project titled We Cut Keys 2, following up on the 2017 EP We Cut Keys While You Wait.
Musically speaking, we expect the project to stay in line with Blinky Bill’s artistic direction, blending East and Central-African music with hip-hop and jazz. “My dad used to listen to congolese music like Franco, Awilo Longomba… a lot of those artists”, he had told us in a 2018 interview. “My mum used to listen to gospel music. So I was surrounded by those kind of influences a lot at home. But also we’d sneak in TV shows that had Michael Jackson… So we were very exposed to pop music. As a result, some of my music is very heavily rooted in African music but with a global outlook. I listen to hip-hop mostly, African and American hip-hop. And I love jazz too, old school jazz singers as well. So my musical influences are very wide.”
Listen to “Ama Aje” in our Songs of the Week playlist on Spotify and Deezer.
