It's hard to believe that it has only been two years since the singer and songwriter burst onto the Mzansi music scene, he has after all captivated audiences with the release debut EP Liminal Sketches, and breakthrough single Sunday Blues.
The 12-track album sees Langa explores the themes around love, heartbreak, self-reflection and sees the artist explore a new version of himself.
“This album is the honest sharing of my heart and a candid journal of my journey back to myself after losing love. It will make you cry, dance and maybe even smile. This is the window into my life through love,”
The Deezer NEXT Artist of 2020, explains to ZAlebs that the album is named Langa as it is his way of saying "this is who I am, this is my story"
"I am here to say, this is who I am, this is my story. This is my first full album and here you go, here's my heart and I give it to you. It's scary but I give it to you,"
Describing the album, Langa quotes the title of Judith Sephuma famous song A Cry, A Smile, A Dance.
“This album is inspired by heartbreak. This is me taking a moment to look in the mirror and reflect on self, through the journey of this heartbreak, and you’ll see three different phases of this journey play out throughout the album, with every four songs; in the beginning, we reflect on the pain and upset caused by losing love, with this part of the album expressing the initial acceptance of a relationship ending.
In the second part, we step into a more tumultuous part of the heartbreak; inspired by the sounds of nightclubs and a lifestyle that can be described as a distraction. Most of the music in this second phase is me exploring a new version of myself and ultimately looking for love in all the wrong places in the attempt to avoid dealing with the pain, but this charade all ends with a song called ‘Pretend’, which shifts the album’s focus back to internal work and spiritual alignment.
The final part of the album starts with me praying for salvation and leads to me finally accepting that this love is lost.”
Fans have been singing Langa praises even before he dropped his album, thanks to his highly popular singles that saw him rise to fame and on the charts.
When asked if this added any pressure to him, Langa said he was only feeling it now, a day before the album's release.
"The anxiety is peaking because I obviously want its intentions to be fulfilled and that it resonates with those who’ve needed it from me. One thing I will have regardless of the outcome is the fulfilment of creating a record that is honest and masterfully considered".
For the album, Langa in terms of production worked with Linden Jay who has worked with international duo Chloe x Halle and worked with duo Noble who recently worked with Beyoncé on her Grammy Award-winning album The Lion King: The Gift.
The producers each left the young artist with lifelong lessons during the making of their records.
"Noble stretched my sonic identity and they helped me find new soundscapes for what I usually found easiest to express through a ballad. Linden Jay taught me that I should just trust my instinct. Whatever comes first is probably the best and just needs some refinement. Love lost was the resolution I needed to get from this project; to let go in peace,"
The album consists of several collaborations such as Zadok, Loyiso, Yanga Chief, Aimee George, Manana and Zoë Modiga.
"In the beginning I wanted big names to elevate the project but as time went by it felt more authentic to stick with people I know and feel most safe with my truth. I worked with friends and it’s the best thing I ever did," explains Langa about how he chose his collaborators.
The album was initially meant to come out last year but was delayed because Langa had not yet signed a new recording deal following the end of his deal with Solistic music. Image: Supplied
"Beginning of this year, in January I signed a deal with Platoon, which is owned by Apple and we literally finalized our deal in February have been working on the marketing strategy all of March, April happened and we supposed to release the first single in April and obviously, COVID happened. So, I kinda said to everyone, can we have a breather and find our feet during this moment and understand what this means for ourselves. At the end of April, I was like I'm ready, let's put out this album."
The best part about making the album for Langa was being able to witness his growth through the sonic evolution throughout the three years of creating his album. His least favourite moment has to be the long flights between Johannesburg and London.
After fans have listened to the 12-track album he wants them simply:
"Live true, love fearlessly and always seek to be centred/rooted in something bigger than yourself".
