Priscillar Zawedde aka Azawi presents her new album Sankofa, a fusion of Afrobeats, rumba, dancehall, Amapiano, and Bongo Flava. With seventeen songs featuring collaborations with artists like Sauti Sol, Konshens, Elijah Kitaka, Ben Soul, and Mike Kayihura, she elevates her status as an established artist while paying homage to her roots and reclaiming African pride.
Born in Kampala, Uganda, in 1996, she entered the music world in 2009, writing songs for Ugandan artists like Eddy Kenzo, Nina Rose, and Lydia Jazmine. From that point on, she decided to bet on herself and sing her own music. Since 2019, she has been with Swangz Avenue, the leading record label in Uganda, where she debuted in 2020 with her EP Lo Fit and the song Quinamino, which led to her first album African Music, where her audience soared to twenty million streams. With multiple projects in her discography, Azawi is making waves in the music industry with this new project: “Let’s embrace the wisdom of yesterday as we create new melodies for tomorrow!,” she emphasises on her social media.
But back to today’s matter, Sankofa is an exciting journey into culture and how it defines and shapes who we are. The title itself hints at what we can expect from the album. The term can be translated as ‘go back and take’ or ‘go back and search’, and it refers to the importance of learning from history and past experiences to move towards the future. Therefore, the album is an exercise in learning by returning to African roots and connecting with cultural heritage, using that wisdom to create meaningful musical expressions.
It starts with Sankofa Intro, a musicalised speech that narrates the essence of the album. In both Luganda and English, Azawi gives us phrases like “How can I know where am going / if I don’t know where I came from?” and “Go back you know it / To find your way to your future / Journey to your past.” This is followed by Champion from Africa, where various voices in chorus take centre stage with the chorus “I am made from Africa / Champion from Africa,” an anthem that invites hip movement, as in the next track, Egaali, the most romantic song on the album.
In Summer Bae, Konshens contributes with his characteristic dancehall touch, which contrasts with Brand New, a more serene proposition with iconic phrases like “Baby powerful than Obama.” Njagala Vibe, featuring Sauti Sol, is literally good vibes. The title is a Luganda expression that represents wanting good vibes, exactly what the song conveys. But that’s all we’ll reveal for now because you must listen to the whole record. Go stream Sankofa now!