When singer Niu Raza wrote the song “Madagascar,” she wanted to capture the feeling of home through her lyrics and sound.
In an interview with NEXT, Raza said she brought in traditional Malagasy singing from her home country of Madagascar and blended it with the influences of pop music and Afrobeat. “Madagascar” is featured on her first full-length album “Mm-hmm,” which was released earlier this year.
Raza said it took her years to figure out how to blend different musical traditions in “Mm-hmm,” creating sounds that felt authentic to her.
“Having them fit perfectly – it’s almost like the sounds found home,” Raza said.
Raza went to Berklee College of Music in Boston and currently lives in Somerville, Massachusetts.
This interview was featured on NEXT from the New England News Collaborative. Listen to the entire show here.
