Tamara Dey back with new music and outlook
The Queen moves into Afro beat space
Tamara Dey is turning back to her old ways.
The singer who rose to national prominence featuring on kwaito duo Brothers of Peace music was then lost to the pop market when she joined Flash Republic.
But now, she is set to conquer Africa with a new attitude and some hot singles.
First out of her arsenal is Stuck In Our Way featuring Nigerian superstar D’Banj.
She also teamed up with DJ Maphorisa on Together.
Dey says her bigger dream for the new project is for her name and brand to be recognised throughout the continent.
She has been to Nigeria to perform but says things were different. “It was a different ball game back then. Those appearances didn’t translate into radio airplay or collaborations.”
But now she dreams about working with the likes of Mafikizolo and Tiwa Savage.
She says it took her about a year to develop her sound.
“I got a call from Oskido out of the blue. He said ‘we need to work again’. I was chuffed that the call came from his side.
“I had moved from my old sound and had a great run with Flash Republic and was developing my new sound again and the sound revealed itself to me.
“I was in studio with Maphorisa
and towards the end, the penny dropped as I understood the sound.”
She says after recording Stuck in Our Way, she played it to Oskido before he went to the Miami Music Conference in the US. He felt the music was fresh and he played it for D’Banj who liked it and that’s how the collaboration came about.
“I’m a big fan of D’Banj. I love his song Emergency.
“What an honour to be with him on my song. He’s an absolute legend.”
Of her second coming to the audiences that made her, Dey says: “It took longer than I thought. I’m in a great space now. I was a baby when I left kwaito and house. I dabbled in dance with Flash Republic and toured overseas.
“At the end of the day people will hear a fusion of everything I have ever done. My roots are embedded in dance, pop and house.
“There is a certain confidence I didn’t have when I first started. I was looking to a lot of people to guide me like Lebo Mathosa and Thandiswa Mazwai. I was shy. But now I have grown so much as a songwriter. I know myself better, lyrically [and] production-wise.
“I’ve been through trials and tribulations and I have rediscovered my own strength.”
All of that is coming out in the music. The songs will do all the talking, she says. Her latest sound fuses dancehall, Afrobeat, electronica and house.
She says her voice is the centrepiece of her latest release.