Platoon is celebrating Africa Month with African Lullabies Part 2, the second installment in the children’s music series African Lullabies.
Related: Music Business Hot Shots Platoon & EMPIRE Make Billboard International Power Players 2022 List.
Taking a Pan African approach, African Lullabies Part 2 features top talents from around the continent including Asa, Ayra Starr, Karun, Teni, Simi, WurlD, Olayinka Ehi, Tresor, Manana, Aymos and Ntsika.
Whereas its predecessor – African Lullabies Part 1 – focused on original compositions by South African singers and songwriters and was sung across various languages, African Lullabies Part 2, expands beyond the borders of South Africa and creates a diverse offering of children’s music in various African languages for babies on the continent and in the diaspora. Most of the recordings are original compositions by the artists, drawing from their experiences in parenthood, African folklore, while others are interpretations of previously released material arranged and re-recorded as lullabies.
On creating her first children’s song, Karun said, “It’s really cute to have been asked to make a children’s song. This is my first children’s song, I never thought I would. I really enjoy making calm, relaxing music so this made sense. I never saw children’s music as something that I would do but given the opportunity it’s something that I would jump on. I have a son and I like kids, it’s a cool challenge.”
Karun added, “I learned a lot about myself when creating this song. I produced the whole song, I love layering vocals, I was playing around with different effects – I learned phasing. It was a lot of learning on the technical side of it. I also learned that there’s a lot more I need to connect with my mother tongue Kikuyu. Me and my grandmother connected over her helping me remember the lullaby at the end of the song. Kikuyu is my first language but I forgot it a long time ago, so I learned that I’m still connected to it.”
Since July last year Platoon has ventured into the kid’s music space after recognizing the vital need for a rich and diverse offering for children that catered to all kids regardless of the language they speak or the country they’re in, partnering up with musicians and children’s content creators from across the globe and many languages, to become one of the leading children’s music curators in the world.
Speaking ahead of the release, Ayra Starr said, “My aunt is my world and she just gave birth three months ago. I made the song just before she gave birth, so it was kind of like making a song for my niece. Growing up we made up songs ourselves as children, at school we used to make up our own lullabies because we didn’t want to have to sing “Twinkle, twinkle, little star.” When I started making the song I wanted to make something that my younger self would be so proud of. It’s important for more African lullabies to be made because African children need more representation, we didn’t see a lot of that growing up, there weren’t a lot of black dolls and I didn’t get to see a lot of that growing up. I think that African lullabies will inspire children in different ways.”
WurlD asserted, “It’s important for more African Lullabies to be made. There’s so much more we can do in music and this is one of those aspects. I can’t wait to see more lullabies in the African community and I hope that this inspires more people to create African lullabies. This is an experience I’d love to share with my kids one day when I have one. In the creative process I learned that I can actually be doing a lot more with my songwriting and sound. I learned that I actually make peaceful music. Creating my first children’s song means that I’m growing as an artist and using my art to do more than the commercial, usual norm and it feels good.”
The full tracklist is as follows:
1. Psalms of Suli – Hello Little One
2. Teni – One Day
3. Simi – Iya Ni Wura
4. Karun – Dream Lullaby (Wakarirü)
5. Tresor – La Vie Est Belle
6. Olayinka Ehi – Sweet One
7. Asa – Little Darling
8. Ayra Starr – Stars
9. Aymos – Lullaby Song
10. Ntsika – Busuku Benzolo
11. WurlD – Never Alone
12. Manana – In The Morning
African Lullabies Part 2 is available now across all streaming platforms. Click here to listen.
About Platoon:
The multi-award-winning label Platoon was founded by music industry legend and CEO Denzyl Feigelson in 2016. The boutique artist services company identifies groundbreaking talent from around the world, while providing invaluable and innovative tools and services to build their careers and reach new fans. Platoon landed its first success shortly after their inception when they signed the then-unknown Billie Eilish, laying the groundwork for her ascent to global stardom. BRIT Award winner Jorja Smith would soon follow, alongside Nigeria’s Mr. Eazi, who would both find worldwide acclaim. Current signings include Adekunle Gold, Victoria Monét, Reece, Aaron Smith, Kiddo K, Rosey Chan, DJ Spinall, and more. Platoon’s team expands across the globe with offices in London, New York, Cape Town, Berlin, Los Angeles. Their visionary creative spaces in London and Africa boast 24-hour recording studios that also provide inspiring ecosystems for artists to openly collaborate, have access to educational classes, and find guidance across wellness, music, business and marketing.
