Keturah’s album release May 19
The long awaited debut album of Keturah popularly known as Local Girl in the music circles will be released on May 19 2023, Hen House Studios in United States of America (USA) have announced in a press statement.
Described as a powerful new voice of Southern Africa, the statement also says that a single titled ‘Kwanumkwanu’ off the album will drop today.
Keturah, who recently performed at a French Embassy interaction with creatives at Jacaranda Cultural Centre in Blantyre, travelled to USA for the first time last year to record the album in Venice Beach, Los Angeles featuring members of the Playing For Change Band.
The statement says that Playing For Change Band is also debuting the music video for Keturah’s first single ‘Kwanumkwanu’, which they recorded live at Mark’s Park.
Playing For Change has since invited people to a special performance live outside at Mark’s Park in USA today to experience the soul stirring melodies of Keturah.
Meanwhile, with the country grappling with the effects of Cyclone Freddy which has claimed lots of lives and property, the statement says their hearts were with Keturah and Malawian people.
It further says that all proceeds from downloads and streams of Keturah’s first single will be donated to the Jacaranda Foundation that is helping with aid during this difficult time in Malawi.
The track ‘Kwanumkwanu’ is based on an African proverb that says “however far the stream flows, it never forgets its source”.
Keturah wrote this song about people, who travel far from home and forget their roots.
“You can go wherever you want but always remember where you come from,” she said.
The statement says that the connection between Malawi and Los Angeles is part of the powerful story behind Keturah’s album.
Raised in the rural area, Keturah set out on foot at the age of 14 having lost her parents and trekked to Blantyre looking for a recording studio.
With a beautiful voice and powerful poise, she soon built a name and her talent soon caught the eye of French Honorary Consul to Malawi Luc Deschamps, who runs the Jacaranda Foundation.
Deschamps recognised her potential and connected her with Harlan Steinberger, director of Hen House Studios, an independent music label and recording studio, churning out roots and world music in Venice, California.
It was then that Deschamps and his wife Marie Da Silva through Jacaranda arranged for Keturah to travel to Los Angeles for the first time to record at Hen House in July 2022.
She arrived with voice notes featuring roughly sketched melodies over lo-fi guitar and let Harlan mold things from there.
Steinberger recorded the album with members of Playing For Change plus Los Angeles soul singer Chris Pierce, Zimbabwean guitar legend Louis Mhlanga, John Densmore from the Doors, jazz prodigy Jamael Dean, Magatte Sow from The Black Panther soundtrack and many others.
