Today, Sinkane announces forthcoming album ‘We Belong’, due for release on April 5th! Alongside the album announcement, he shares a new single “How Sweet Is Your Love” and accompanying music video.
‘We Belong’ marks Sinkane’s first full-length release for 5 years, since 2019’s ‘Dépaysé,’ and is Sinkane’s “love letter to Black music.” Taking cues from gospel, Afrobeats, 70s funk, foundational soul of the rhythms of Sinkane’s native Sudan and more, ‘We Belong’ tells a story about Black music and Black people.
It tells introspective–and sometimes painful–stories of the Black diaspora with an underlying current of love and hope for the future. “How Sweet Is Your Love” marks a celebratory, funk-infused high point of the project. Set against heavy disco synth instrumentals and riffing strings, Sinkane encourages listeners to cast away their worries and embrace the current moment. “How Sweet Is Your Love is about remaining in the present and feeling all of your feelings as fully as possible" Gallab comments. "It dares you to prove the sweetness of your love, to your loves!”
Meanwhile, on the vibrant music video, shot by Bảo Ngô, dancers from the Haus of Tisci ballroom collective put their moves on display at New York's Sultan Room and its neighbouring streets. Gallab comments: “One of my singers, Ifedayo, thought it would be a great idea for me to reach out to Haus of Tisci for a collab on this music video. Their spirit embodies the love and energy of this song. Radical self joy to the max! STOUT, who is featured on “We Belong”, is a part of these Ballroom legends so I reached out. Next thing I knew, we were shooting this video. They did a wonderful job of welcoming us all in to this song. Free your mind and your ass will follow!
For this record, Sinkane assembled the who's who of musicians and collaborators which include Beastie Boys producer Money Mark, jazz fusion maestro Casey Benjamin, guitarist/producer Mikey Freedom Hart, Phony Ppl’s Aja Grant, percussionist Meia Noite, organist Shedrick Mitchell, former bandmate Amanda Khiri, and singers Bilal, STOUT, Tru Osborne and Hollie Cook. He has also created an all-star six piece band called The Message, who support Sinkane live. Band members include: Ronnie Lanzilotta (bass), Dave Palazola (drums), Patt Carr (keys), Asher Kurtz (guitar), Ifedayo Gatling (vocalist) and Jessica Harp (vocalist).
On ‘We Belong’, what had long been a solo endeavor by Gallab, suddenly became a collaborative experience. “Having all these people at my disposal [meant] I could actually be a producer,” he says. “I could zoom out a little bit and see what serves the song best. How can I make this better? Having a community around me really just allowed this to turn into something bigger than I could have ever imagined.”
The first single from the project, “Everything is Everything,” featuring vocalist Tru Osborne, was released last year and is an acute reflection of life as a Black person in America (watch HERE / listen HERE). Sinkane opens the jazzy ballad “We’re here again / Ain’t nobody listenin’… Y’all only know our names from hashtags'' before taking a hopeful turn; “The tides of change / Serve great purpose in our every day / My people, we will find our way.”
Sinkane has always paved his own way, defying all odds and surpassing expectations. With seven studio albums under his belt and an illustrious career as a composer, producer and band leader, he has orchestrated remarkable projects. From music directing the Atomic Bomb! Band, the resounding revival of Nigerian funk musician William Onyeabor, to composing the musical adaptation of Roald Dahl’s The Enormous Crocodile which debuted last month, Ahmed's journey has been extraordinary to say the least.