a big hit

South Africa: Jerusalema star Master KG: ‘I was just doing my thing in the studio, vibing, happy’

By Shingai Darangwa

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Posted on July 16, 2021 10:54

South Africans dance to the viral music hit “Jerusalema” as they celebrate the country’s Heritage Day in the historic Bo Kaap area of Cape Town © South Africans dance to the viral music hit “Jerusalema” as they celebrate the country’s Heritage Day in the historic Bo Kaap area of Cape Town, South Africa, 24 September 2020. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings
South Africans dance to the viral music hit “Jerusalema” as they celebrate the country’s Heritage Day in the historic Bo Kaap area of Cape Town, South Africa, 24 September 2020. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings

It’s roughly 15 minutes before my scheduled Zoom interview with the South African dance music maestro Master KG and he’s just posted a clip on his Instagram feed showing him and Akon hanging out at a cherry red old-school convertible. The tagged location reads Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

When we get on our call, he explains that he’s actually in Paris and the clip was recorded while he was in Santa Domingo, a week before the promo for his latest single Shine Your Light, a collaborative effort between the venerable French DJ David Guetta and Akon.

While there, Master KG and Akon were also working on new music. “It was a great process,” he says. “Akon is such a humble guy. He’s so open to new ideas so we were really vibing. It didn’t even feel like this is someone I grew up looking up to or a big superstar, he just made me feel at home.”

In the spotlight

Over the past year, Master KG has been inescapable. His hit single Jerusalema, and the two official remixes it gave birth to, has been a fixture on airwaves across the globe, spawning a slew of platinum certifications in Switzerland, Belgium and France.

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