Emmanuel Jal Returns with New Album 'Shangah'

Watch videos for "Hey Mama" and "Rakaboom"

BY Calum SlingerlandPublished Jun 16, 2022

Emmanuel Jal has detailed his seventh studio album. The South Sudanese-Canadian artist and activist will share Shangah on July 8 via Gatwitch Records.

Following 2018's Naath, Jal's Juno-nominated collaborative album with his sister Nyaruach, the 14-track Shangah is said to find the artist weaving traditional rhythms and dialects from South Sudan, along with influences from Kenya and East Africa, with more modern styles.

Jal shares of his latest, "Shangah means 'I am or I have been.' The album reflects where I am, whilst recognizing where I have been. I want to create music which pays homage to my heritage whilst paving a positive way forward for my people."

Included in the tracklist are recently shared singles "Hey Mama" and "Rakaboom," both of which you can hear in the players below.

The former, featuring South Sudan's Check B, is a tribute to the cultural diversity of their home country, while the latter finds Jal singing in Nuer.



Shangah:

1. Shangah
2. Ebul
3. Ubuntu
4. Hey Mama
5. Rakaboom
6. Talking to Me
7. Come With Me
8. I See
9. Shanelle Nyasiase
10. Nyapal
11. Chagu
12. Lele
13. Abusalah
14. Shangah Retro

Latest Coverage