Day 26 of our 2020 charity Advent Calendar, in aid of You Make It & Project Protect.
On a mission to experiment with both tradition and modern influences, singer-songwriter and ESP musician, Labdi (who stands as the only female Orutu player in her home of Kenya) finds her musical match in local musician Joash Omondi, who she teams up with for the first time on ‘Duogi’ — a stirring composition that marries traditional strings with synths and Labdi’s enchanting vocals.
“The song is called ‘Duogi’, which means Come back in Luo (From the Luo people of Nyanza Kenya), where Joash and I are from. It’s about a proud and boastful young girl who is asked to return to the people who love her most at home. She is adamant – she doesn’t want to because she has discovered a better life elsewhere.
From the moment I heard Joash Omondi’s tracks I knew we were a musical match. His sound I felt was so true to where he is from, which happens to be where I am from. This will be the first release we have done together and are currently working towards releasing a body of work together. It is a project that I love and working with him makes it even more enjoyable!”
Stamp The Wax · Day 26: Labdi & Joash Omondi – Duogi [2:48]
This year we’ve chosen to split profits from the release between two charities, both of whom are doing important work within their respective fields.
The first charity is London-based organisation You Make It, a creative programme that offers young women access to tools, networks and experiences — group learning, 1-1 mentoring, work experience, start-up support and 1-1 pastoral support — giving them the confidence to transform their lives through personal empowerment.
The second is Nigeria-based initiative Project Protect, a subdivision of Burna Boy’s charitable NGO The Reach, launched to help provide financial, medical and legal resources for EndSars protestors during and after the protests.
Check the below playlist for all tracks in our Calendar.
Artwork across the series by Mark Grieg.
