London-based artist N1NJA, who has been featured as a rising talent on Beatport, joins forces with known South African vocal artist Nana Atta on the latest release, “Umusa.”
Meaning the name “grace,” Umusa is more than a collaboration, but a spiritual gathering of two artists meeting at the intersection of time, intention, and energy on this exciting single released on Get Physical Music.
The collaboration came into existence as a result of mutual respect. N1NJA had always been a huge fan of Nana Atta’s vocal identity, but when Grammy-winning artist Zakes Bantwini brought them together, the chemistry happened instantly. The concepts were initially shared online, but it wasn’t until later when N1NJA visited South Africa via her association with IMS and BeatPort that the collaboration really kicked into gear, with the first studio meeting being life-changing.
“When Nana entered, it was like an instant sisterhood,” N1NJA remembers. “She had come back from a spiritual mission in her local village, and she had this calm but very protective vibe going on for her.”
On the same day, Nana Atta is attracted to an untitled sketch playing from N1NJA’s laptop, which would later come to be known as Umusa.
This is evident from the very beginning, as the songs are composed with emotionally charged synthesizers that convey a sense of urgency as well as hope. The snare sounds shine like diamonds on a stable bass line, providing a background that gives Nana Atta’s potent vocals the platform to shine. The fact that she is singing in Zulu makes her convey messages such as struggle is only temporal, but grace is permanent.
It seemed that Umusa’s debut live performance came on the very next day, with a significant degree of synchronicity, at the Constitution Hill in Johannesburg, during the IMS Connect event organized by Beatport. This particular location has a historical significance, as it formerly served as a prison housing notable figures such as Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi.
This performance takes on a profound element, with two female artists, singing with a common melody, with a common goal, singing a song that speaks of transformation, at a venue that is a marker of resistance, of liberation. UMUSA arrives exactly one year from when the artists initially came together, marking a concert album in itself, a gesture. It marks a season of renewal, a season of power, a season of onward movement, as N1NJA and Nana Atta navigate fresh beginnings with the establishment of fresh platforms with their own music labels. UMUSA marks a season of remembrance of whence we come, whence we rise.
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