DJ and music producer Shalewa Kuti has released the visuals for Burn So Fine Washa, her single with South African artist Busiswa.
Shalewa Kuti who takes pride in creating music that’s not just beautiful but also empowers women and has a place in political discussion, captures the very essence in Burn So Fine Washa released in November 2021.
Washa translates to “Africa is burning” and combines South African dance floor music elements while touching on political discourse. Produced by Shalewa Kuti, the fast-paced drums and synths of Washa drive home the urgency of Busiswa’s steady chant of fire. Busiswa’s commanding delivery touches on various events that point to Africa being on fire while also calling on her leaders to be held accountable.
Washa seeks to capture the current situation in Africa and how despite all the happenings on the continent, melody and joy are still a massive part of our everyday lives. Shalewa Kuti and Busiswa expertly touch on this in Burn So Fine Washa without appearing performative.
While talking about working on the beat of Washa while in Zimbabwe, before linking up with Busiswa in South Africa to finish up the song, Shalewa Kuti was full of praise for Busiswa, “she’s one of the greatest artists in South Africa, and I love her drive and energy. We Africans are fiery people; we always turn up the heat, dance and are ecstatic. That fire shows not only in our music but also our politics like in #EndSARS and is a large part of our environment.”
Washa is the lead single to Shalewa Kuti’s debut project that aims to capture the joy and challenges of being African. For her, to be African is to be a mesh of various cultures that are as unique and different as they’re similar. Taking this into account, Shalewa Kuti embarked on a production tour across the continent, allowing her to experience various parts of what it means to be African and draw on what each unique culture means by giving a platform for the people in each culture she has experienced to create.
Watch the official video here.