Deo Munyakazi, the “Inanga” playing traditional artiste has announced plans to release his maiden album ‘Isoko Dusangiye’ currently in the works and will be available online on June 12. The artiste said that he opted for online distribution for his album after hopes to organize a concert for the album launch remained uncertain due to the New Coronavirus pandemic. “In the beginning, a concert was my favorite occasion to release my album before my audience but, since concerts are banned until the day nobody knows due the current situation of the Covid-19 crisis, I’ve run out of option but to release it online because you never know when things will get back to normal,” the Inanga artiste told The New Times in an interview. He added that people’s queries to access his album influenced his move to distribute it online platforms. “I had to respond to their requests because they are the reason I am doing music,” he said. The production of songs that make up the album were inspired by Inanga, the traditional harp which he has become accustomed with, with a mix of saxophone and other African musical instruments. On Monday, May 25, Munyakazi released his brand-new song ‘Ndi Amahoro’ to seal his ten-song album before releasing it online. The song’s video was shot and directed at Ikirenga Cultural Center by Mayors Film while the audio was recorded by Boris, one of four producers who worked on his album, including Alson, Jimmy Pro and Gedeon. His album is made of singles and some few collaborations. Some songs include ‘Italanto’, ‘Emirembe’ and ‘Isoko Dusangiye’ among others. His songs mainly convey messages that tackle social life, culture, Peace, humanity and spiritual life. The album will be available, from June 12, on different online music platforms like iTunes, Amazon, Spotify and YouTube, among others. The singer is now working the prices per copy of the album, which he said will depend on the platform of distribution. Munyakazi started his music journey in 2016. Using the Inanga, a traditional music instrument, the artiste showed class and commitment in producing music that preserves Rwandan culture. His talent earned him opportunities to performed at a number of renowned local, regional and international festivals including I Am Kigali Festival, Ubumuntu Arts Festival in Rwanda, Ongea Festival in Nairobi, Kenya and Pop-Kultur Festival in Berlin, Germany, to name a few.
