AMUNASO INTERVIEW: With Roots in the Congo, raised in the Netherlands and settled in Brussels, Amunaso creates captivatingly dreamy and soulful music, with powerful and intimate lyrics that transports her listeners to another realm. Get familiar…
What five words define your sound?
Soulful, introspective, ethereal, powerful, spiritual.
Tell me something unique about your creative process
I love to revisit my older unreleased songs and breathe new life into them. I love seeing my music evolve and how songs get a whole new meaning after a while.
Which song of yours would you like people to hear first?
‘YEMBELA’
What inspired you to make that song?
I first wrote ‘Yembela’ over a beat by Darryl Croiset. It had a sensual zouk rhythm. I closed my eyes and saw a couple dancing by a palm tree near the ocean. I felt a timeless kind of love without being in love myself. I can’t really explain it. I started humming to the beat and the first words that came out were ‘Yembela, yembela nga’. It’s in Lingala and means ‘sing, sing for me’. The song changed over time but its essence is still the same.
What’s the most vulnerable you’ve allowed yourself to be when writing/making music?
My song ‘Lobiko’. It’s the most intimate song I’ve written next to ‘Yembela’. It was scary to release that one but when I heard how connected people felt to it, I realised how powerful it is to stay authentic in my music.
What’s the best/worst experience you’ve had on stage?
Worst? Not sure. Best? Definitely in Ancienne Belgique (Brussels) with my band, opening for Reinel Bakole. Everything about that evening felt right. My parents came to see me perform for the first time that night. The show went so well and I felt in tune with the audience. I spoke up about what’s happening in Congo and I could feel the genuine support. It was emotional, I’ll never forget it.
What is your favourite song to perform?
‘Lobiko’.
Which artist/song/album made you want to make music?
Alicia Keys – ‘Songs in A Minor’, the first CD I ever bought when I was about eight years old.
What’s the meaning behind your name?
Amunaso is my grandmother’s name and my middle name. It’s a Swahili name and it’s derived from Aminatu, which means peaceful or faithful.
If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing instead?
I’d probably be a writer or a poet.
What’s success to you?
Doing what I love. Peace of mind. Seeing my prayers come to life.
What moment in your life/career forced you to change direction?
Pain and my healing journey. It made me not depend on people so much but more so on God. It gave me more confidence in myself and my vision. I started making my own beats and working with live musicians to bring my vision to life. It’s working so far.
Where can people keep in touch with you?
You can find me on Instagram: @amvnaso !
