Turunesh Is Igniting East Africa’s Alternative Music Scene

“After I made Coastal Cider I knew it would be a while until I released music again. In fact I planned on not doing so. I wanted to grow, live in the world before I conjured a new world for myself and for my audience…” 

Singer/Songwriter Turunesh oozes East African allure, ranging from her Tanzanian and Ethiopian roots and upbringing and oscillating all the way to her artistic influences. After a mini hiatus from the music scene, she endowed us with her latest single “Cigarette” in early June - since her last release back in 2019. So far she has a handful of singles under her belt, two self titled EP’s,, a debut album “Coastal Cider” and is making great strides in the live music scene in Vancouver, Canada where she currently resides. We caught up with her to find out what she’s been up to, her creative process, new music and more.

Photo credits: Jenn Xu.

Sh: The past two years have been very trying for humanity and our collective sanity. As an independent artist how have you been coping? 

T: The same way as everyone else, we’ve all been in survival mode. Some days are hard and other days are even harder. My friends and family have been keeping me sane. They love me and I love them, we’ve been doing this together. I’ve also been working on falling in love with myself again, that has been the most beautiful distraction from the current madness. The album I’m working on has also become the air that I breathe. It’s the reason I wake up in the morning and what’s on my mind when I lay my head to rest at night. I’m fighting for my music everyday, it’s how I’ve been coping.

Sh:It’s been a minute since you last released music before “Cigarette”. What inspired you to release this record now? 

T: It was simply high time. After I made Coastal Cider I knew it would be a while until I released music again. In fact I planned on not doing so. I wanted to grow, live in the world before I conjured a new world for myself and for my audience. I wanted the next project to surprise me with transformation. Sadly I lived too much, that I did not plan for. I have been in the beginning stages of what will be an eternity of grief. That is life. Lives do end.

Sh: As an East African living in Canada, how would you describe the differences between the gig-scene there and that here? 

T: The vibes back home are definitely unmatched. That being said, the scene and infrastructure for alternative music is underdeveloped. The main difference is economical - alternative music pays better and has more infrastructure abroad. It's also important to acknowledge that alternative music is constantly evolving and is no longer strictly a middle-upper class phenomenon, there are amazing underground artists making alternative music in Kiswahili, for Swahili people and are telling stories in a way that is lyrically and visually relatable to the masses. That's so fucking exciting because it proves that alternative music in East Africa represents a diverse cultural shift and not just a class divide. The new East Africa wave will take over, we've just got to keep grinding and being exceptional!

Photo credits: Jenn Xu.

Sh: Do you consider yourself an Alté or African Alternative artist? If so, why? If not, why not? 

 T: I love Alté, but no, I am not an Alté artist. I think ‘Alte’ is very specific to ‘alternative’ music in the West African sense. It’s representative of their cultural renaissance and informed by the history of their art. However, Alternative art/music  is not unique to West Africa alone, I hope that is understood. Every country in Africa right now is undergoing a renaissance movement of its own. I consider myself to be an alternative artist hailing from East Africa, forging new genres for the culture; Neo Ngoma, Neo Swahili Soul, Neo Taraab, and some purely experimental shit that I have yet to define.

Sh: When people listen to your music, what do you want them to feel? 

T: I want them to feel as though they have transcended. If my music can take someone to an unforeseeable place within their minds and help them escape into a world fashioned by their own imagination  then I have succeeded. When I perform for an audience I want them to feel like my song Afrodite - a soulful reverberation of the spirit.

"If i ever go missing, you can find me beneath your skin" - Afrodite. 

Sh: Visual storytelling is clearly very important to your artistry. How do you find the right people to visually represent you? And do they always meet your expectations?

T: I lead when it comes to the creative direction of my visuals, that is very important to me. I'm passionate about directing and being a subject in photography and film so that makes me deeply invested in the visual outcome of my music. I mainly direct in the same intuitive way that I write my songs, the moving images come to me how the lyrics do but I of course do not create in a vacuum of myself. I have an incredible team. I’m so grateful for them, one woman in particular, Jenn Xu, my co creative director. She's been my rock through all this, a true friend and a fellow dreamer. I'm also grateful for Jan, the director who believed in the cigarette music video when no one else did and helped me realise my vision in such a stunning way.

Photo credits: Jenn Xu.

Sh: How do you balance a job and your music career, especially during the pandemic? 

 T: You simply don’t sleep. I finished shooting the cigarette music video at 4:30am, was in bed at about 5:30am, and woke up at 7am for my 9am opening shift. It felt like I was stoned out of my mind the entire day. I have no complaints because I chose this life and I definitely dream of the day music is my one and only focus, that is my true ambition.

Sh: As we get into the second half of the year, are there any future projects your fans should be looking forward to? 

T: Yes, and it’s going to be beautiful. That’s all I can say. 

Stream Turunesh’s latest single “cigarette” as we look forward to the release of her Sophomore album and more.