It's new music Friday and we can finally let the cat out of the bag after having had the chance to sit down and chat with producer and artist, pH. The new Warner Music signee is on a high after seeing an album he produced, Sho Madjozi'sLimpopo Champion's League gains international recognition when the rapper (save the debate for later) walked away with her first-ever BET Award last month.
After lending his influence to her album, she has returned the favor by featuring on the producer's first single since signing to Warner Music South Africa: Ibeballinho (pronounced "I be ballin' yo").
Twitter embed
Before many listeners even knew about the track, however, we had the opportunity to speak to the award-winning producer on a call earlier this week. As soon as he answered, one could sense that the music maestro was in a talkative mood. We kicked off by congratulating him for his contribution to Sho Madjozi's new album and how he felt to see her win a BET Award last month.
"It's crazy to see something I put my identity and stamp on being recognized by the world. It was an important moment since Madjozi came she has opened up the doors for a very different kind of sound that we have encouraged South Africa to embrace. It's always a wonderful thing to be recognized by for your work for sure, but for this Madjozi case, it's extra special because she has broken boundaries with everything she does. It represents more than the music, it's about the culture, it's about the movement"
We also took a moment to acknowledge the amount of work he's put into 2019, something he too admitted often goes behind the scenes:
"A lot of work has gone in to this year. Last year I worked on a lot of other people's work and this year it's all about me. A lot of work has gone into it, a lot of planning and now it's about the execution".
pH's work has not gone unnoticed, however. The producer made headlines earlier this year after inking his first-ever major label deal with Warner Music. We were curious to find out if this was a sign that he was now ready to elevate his product offering and also asked what the deal meant to him as an artist.
"It was a big move. I've been working as an independent artist for a long time but I have achieved a lot. The thing is, I thought about it for a long time and I could say that I have got the music. My track record shows I have got the music, I have always had the music and I have done a lot without a label. But now it's time for my music to reach the masses. Signing this deal was about getting my music as far and wide as possible. But I chose Warner because I wanted to stand out as an artist".
Twitter embed
The first product of his brand new deal with Warner Music dropped this morning and we finally had an opportunity to listen to the new single, Ibeballinho. pH raps on the record while Sho Madjozi... well let's let him explain what she brought to the single:
"The new single features Sho Madjozi. It's a completely different approach from her too, people are going to hear a different sound. There's been a lot of talk about her - is she a rapper? Is she a musician? A lot of people are going to that answer with this new single"
Twitter embed
A little birdie whispered to us that this single wasn't all he was working on. In fact, an album is said to be on the way and when we quizzed him, pH confirmed that this track was the first single from the upcoming record:
"Yes I can confirm this is the first single of an album I'm working on, you're one of the first to know. It's going to show off my growth in the industry, it's a celebration of everything that helped me get here. It's a very personal album and I want people to appreciate me opening up. It also boasts a lot of eclectic sounds!"
He did also confirm that there will be more exciting features on the record but when we asked him to name a few the producer coyly advised us to wait and find out.
So there you have it - an album is definitely on the way, but until we get more details we can still enjoy the first single on pH's upcoming body of work, the infectious Ibeballinho featuring the award-winning muso: Sho Madjozi.
Stream it below and let us know if it lives up to your expectations:
