Simphiwe Dana Shares New Single ‘Usikhonzile’ from Upcoming Album ‘Bamako’

Simphiwe Dana recently released the first single from her upcoming studio album. The song, which is titled "Usikhonzile" is a dedication to an undisclosed character who the South African jazz/soul musician sings praises to as he/she/they is a friend of many people in this country." She told News Central in a recent interview. "It's basically meant to give him his 'flowers' while he is still alive. It's about praising him for the work he has done for many people," she told the website.

The artist's ethereal voice finds a home over electric guitars; it's reminiscent of her 2015 album, the experimental Firebrand.

"Usikhonzile" is the first single from Dana's album which will be titled Bamako. "I have a strong affinity for West African music, particularly Mali and Senegal," Dana told News Central. "Last year, I took the opportunity to produce some of the songs on the album while in the Malian city of Bamako, where I stayed for almost a month. It was my first time in Mali and I experienced the country's culture through Bamako and this is how I came up with the title, Bamako."

Bamako, which arrives on in March, will be Dana's fifth studio album which joins monumental releases such as Zandisile (2004), Kulture Noir (2010), One Love on Bantu Biko Street (2006) and the aforementioned Firebrand (2014). Bamako comes with two fitting appearances from Malian legend Salif Keita who appears on the songs "Masibambaneni" and "Ndizamile."

Stream "Usikhonzile" below and pre-order/pre-save/pre-add Bamako on your streaming platform of choice.