TAYO

The Yoruba term for “source of joy,” TAYO stands as an unforgettable milestone for Musa Keys in the journey toward making him a household name. On his debut album, the South African producer, vocalist, and DJ wears amapiano on his sleeve, as he invites new love, joy, and connection into his life and music. Following 2020’s Widlysm [Wish I Didn’t Love You So Much] EP, Keys embraces the transformative power of rejection, moving toward commitment to the thing he loves most—expanding his creative scope and exploring the African continent’s sounds, while making room for new collaborations with amapiano’s pioneers. Here, he takes us through key tracks on TAYO.

“Selema (Po Po)” [Musa Keys & Loui]
“Loui is a Tanzanian vocalist I met while I was on tour in East Africa. At the time, I decided if I’m making music, it must be for everybody to enjoy, because Nigerian artists have bigger numbers than us and we need each other to keep the sound in our hands. As much as we don’t all understand what is being said, we must still have the good vibe, and I feel like this mixture of music communicates that good vibe well to every part of the world.”

“Abekho” (feat. Sir Trill & Nobantu Vilakazi)
“I made this one on the same day as I made ‘Vula Mlomo,’ but I felt like it made more sense for me to drop it with the album now. At the time, I was feeling differently about my love life, but this album has a whole storyline of where I’ve been and how I’m going.”

“Vula Mlomo” (feat. Sir Trill & Nobantu Vilakazi)
“There’s a tradition that Zulus have, where before you get married to a lady, before you get to speak to her family to negotiate lobola, you need to pay up just so that they can ‘vula mlomo’—‘open their mouths’ [to negotiate]. The song is about approaching the girl’s family to pay, but they’re hesitant, so it’s about convincing them that I’m a serious man, I’ve got the money, and I’m ready to commit.”

“Thando Lwami” (feat. Sino Msolo & Thando Nkosi [Musa Keys & Dinga]
“The day we made this track, Dinga and Thando came to my place, and Sino was already with me. When I’m working with new vocalists, I always like to have Sino with me in the studio. He’s my lifesaver. If the new person is not able to reach the sound or the standard I need, Sino jumps on and adds the missing elements that make the track whole.”

“Wena” (feat. Sino Msolo) [Musa Keys & Lebza TheVillain]
“I was chilling with Lebza at my place, making music till the next morning, and just as he was about to leave, he played something like a bassline on the keyboard, and I said I know exactly who would be great for this. At the time, Sino wanted to do more, and we made it smash.”

“Ku Shushu” (feat. Babalwa M, Aymos, Soa mattrix, Kelvin Momo & Mas Musiq)
“I’ve always wanted to work with these artists. I called them because I knew they had what I wanted, so I booked a house and called some producers—Babalwa, Mas, Soa. I started the beat, added the chords, and it came together very easily.”

“i’Plane” (feat. Makhanj, Optimist Music ZA, Costa Titch & Vine Musiq)
“There’s a saying that goes ‘indoda must,’ as in ‘indoda must make a plan.’ In this song, Makhanj is talking about how she’s going to make this guy she likes stupid by seducing him, but he must make a plan and find a way to please her.”