Times Of Swaziland: MANANA WRITES SONG FOR USHER RAYMOND

MANANA WRITES SONG FOR USHER RAYMOND
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Mxolisi Dlamini on 05/02/2024 08:27:00


MBABANE – Musician Manana made it as one of the songwriters for American
musician Usher’s new single titled ‘Ruin’.
Usher Raymond IV is an American singer, songwriter and dancer. He is widely
recognised as an influential figure in contemporary R and B and Pop music.
Raymond first released his self-titled debut album in 1994 at the age of 16 and
rose to fame in the late 1990s, following the release of his second album My
Way. Referred to as the ‘King of R and B’ by various media outlets, Raymond
has sold 23.8 million albums and 38.2 million digital songs in the United
States. Internationally, he has sold 80 million records worldwide, making him
one of the best-selling music artists of all time.
Background
Born Ndumiso Manana famously known by his stage name Manana is a Grammy award
winner, who has written songs for Ami Faku, Amanda Black, as well as Sauti Sol
to name a few. Manana has a Jazz background and is part of the band Seba
Kaapstad, alongside Zoë Modiga. When Nigeria’s Burna Boy’s album ‘Twice
as Tall’ came out on top in the Best Global Music Album category at the 63rd
Grammy Awards, little did Manana know that the win would be a life-changing
moment for him. He walked away with a Grammy for his contribution to a song on
the album titled ‘Time Flies’, featuring Sauti Sol.
The multi-talented R and B artist is proving that there are no rules in
advocating for what you believe in, especially as an artist. Whether behind the
drum kit, piano, or microphone, he is able to express what the heart needs to
hear simply and honestly. Currently, the musician has added a feather to his hat
after co-writing with ‘Papers’ hitmaker Usher Raymond for his new single
titled ‘Ruin’. This was confirmed by Manana Manager Ndumiso Manana who
shared that they wrote the song with the American musician. “Yes he co-wrote
the song with Usher,” the manager said.
Edition
The single was released on Friday February 3 and is a pre-cursor to Usher’s
ninth studio album titled ‘Coming Home’, set to be released on February 9.
‘Ruin’ is an Afrobeats and Amapiano inspired single which has been recently
remixed by South African (SA) Amapiano disk jockey Soa Matrix. Worth mentioning
is the fact that Manana wrote this song alongside Philip Kayode Moses and it is
performed by Pheelz alongside Usher. Other SA musicians who recently remixed the
song include former Black Motion member, Morda, who did a three-step edition and
Junior Taurus, who did a radio remix. The original song as well as the remixes
are currently available on Spotify.