Check out Ameri-Kenyan ‘tout’ Justo’s new Swahili single – VIDEO
After wowing Kenyans with a viral video of him shouting mbao mbao! at a train station in Oregon, United States, Justin Bradford aka Justo has yet again surprised his fans, but this time with a new single.
In an exclusive interview with Nairobi News, Justo spoke about the new song, Ukitaka, and why he sang it in Swahili.
“I have a passion for Swahili and have always had a passion for singing. My mother always sang to me as a child and it inspired me to want to sing as well. It’s something I love to do, so I did it,” he said.
He said he will officially release the song in Kenya next weekend.
“I am releasing it officially at 40-Forty Lounge on January 27th. That will also be combined with my birthday party. My birthday is on the 28th!” he added.
Ukitaka – which means “If you want” in Swahili – is a heartfelt plea to a lady, which simply goes like, “If you want me, I am here.”
Ukitaka will pull you in simply because Justo is white and in the song he drops only a few English lines, with 95 percent of the song in Swahili.
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Justo, who lived in Kenya for some time, is a fluent Swahili speaker.
He sings in perfect Swahili and the lyrics are especially not shallow. Sample this:
“Ati baibe wewe sio kumi wewe ni thao, twende huko tao.”
There is also something about the arrangement that promises to make the song a big hit.
Justo said he wrote the entire song and it was produced by Top Brass Entertainment and mixed by Beat Ya Keggah with visuals done by Jackson Averett.
The song is available on YouTube, Apple Music, Spotify, Google Play, and all other major streaming platforms.