Executing a strong balance of vulnerability and artistic strength, Adelaide-based songwriter and performer Elsy Wameyo reveals her new single, ‘Outcast’. A personal and emotional offering, the latest offering from the artist is the first single to be released from her forthcoming EP and heralds a new chapter of this young talent’s thriving career.
The single itself is an observation of the mental struggles existing within the African community; where one’s skin colour comes saddled with generations of cultural trauma. As Wameyo’s voice soothes, the messaging threaded through the song is crucial to the listener’s understanding of issues that are still very much present in communities in Australia and abroad, today.
“I wrote this song because I see and feel the pain of being black.”
Recorded in Adelaide with producer Mario Späte (Tkay Maidza, Montaigne, Okenyo), ‘Outcast’ is stripped back and soul-drenched. Space is used beautifully in letting Wameyo’s vocals land with impact. With previous releases ‘Daily’ and ‘Intuition’ leaning more towards the pop and dance realms, ‘Outcast’ is a perfect snapshot of the young artist’s flourishing versatility.
For ‘Outcast’ and her highly anticipated debut EP, Wameyo aligns with Melbourne’s Music In Exile. An imprint of tastemaker independent label Bedroom Suck Records, Music In Exile paves the way for collaborations with artists creating music in culturally diverse communities in Australia. Home to the likes of Gordon Koang, Mindy Weng Wang and Ausecuma Beats, the label encourages conversation and artistic brilliance to thrive.
The last few years have been crucial in Wameyo’s artistic development. As part of Adelaide’s Playback 808 crew, Elsy has risen as one of the city’s most exciting names. Nominated in the Best New Artist and Best World Music categories at the 2018 South Australian Music Awards, and appearing on stages at South Australian legs of the Laneway Festival and Groovin the Moo, her craft has flourished in front of crowds of all sizes.