Breaking new ground
SOUTH AFRICAN singer and songwriter, Donald, has just become the first African artist to release a visual album. The afro-soul and house musician, who is known for his hits like Crazy But Amazing & I Deserve released the album in May.
The album, which is titled Something More, is his fourth and took a year to put together. It is set to reposition his brand and open him up to the rest of Africa thanks to his hot collaboration with Nigerian superstar Tiwa Savage.
“The idea to do a visual album was born early last year. As with other ideas of mine, I just got up one day and thought ‘a visual album would be great’ and I started working on it immediately. I didn’t even wait a day,” he said.
Donald first wrote songs for the album, ones that reflect where he is as an artist right now.
“The writing process is the most important part of music for me. I didn’t want the music on this album to sound like any of my previous albums. I wanted a new sound, but of course a sound that you can still associate with me. When I was writing the songs, I also wanted to tell a story of reflection as well.”
Once he was done recording all 10 songs, it was time to put together 10 music videos.
“It’s actually a little funny because at no point during this process did I feel like I was under pressure. I love challenging myself.
“When I was putting this album together I was also putting my first ever Red Mix Xperience (RMX) live DVD together, so a lot was going on, and we had to keep this album a secret as well. But I really loved this process – I was out of my comfort zone.”
Although the award winning singer said it is difficult to define the sound of this particular album, he did say that he was happy to have done a variety of songs.
“What I love about this album is that in terms of genres, it is diverse: there is Afrosoul and R&B, something I have never done before, there is also a song where I sing in isiZulu – my fans have never heard me sing in isiZulu so it’s really exciting.”
Donald said that he wanted to do a visual album to reinvent his career.
“The industry changes, fans change, markets change and I believe that artists need to adapt to the changes. For me, this is an opportunity to expose myself to a different market. Apart from wanting to be the first artist in Africa to do this, I also did it because I did not want to bore my fans,” he said.
The first single off the album is Rain Drops, which sees him team up with Nigeria’s Savage.
“Music is so powerful, it can take you to places you never expected to go to. I have always wanted to work with Tiwa for years now. When we reached out to her people, it was so easy to set up the collaboration. I found out that she has enjoyed my work for a while now and the respect we both have for each other is very real. It’s such an honour having her on this album,” Donald said.
Although he is happy with the response so far, he does admit that putting together Africa’s first visual album was not easy.
“I do love challenges but this was the biggest challenge of my career and a huge financial risk, too. Putting together 10 music videos cost a lot of money and you can just imagine the logistics behind it all. It was not easy, but I am extremely proud of myself,” he said.
Donald’s main objective when putting this album together was to inspire the youth of Africa.
He said: “When you think of a visual album, you think of Beyoncé because she has one. However, I wanted an African child to see a fellow African can do the exact same thing.
“You can make your dreams happen as long as you stay focused and work hard. I know it might sound clichéd, but I really want this piece of work to inspire others and show them that anything is possible.
“With this album I want my fans to know that I respect and value them, which is why I took on this huge challenge.
“It’s all about the fans and they are going to enjoy this,” he said.