Latest news with #Muzi
San Francisco Chronicle
12-08-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
How an Oakland songwriter transformed her own burnout into a creative app for other artists
For most of Rachel Efron's musical life composing was an intensely isolating experience. 'I'd lock myself away to write a song like I had the flu,' the Oakland singer and songwriter told the Chronicle. 'Each song was like a fever dream and it was about getting something really right that was inside me. Collaborating couldn't exist in the same universe.' Then in March 2020, as the COVID-19 outbreak prompted a global shutdown, Efron's world opened up. She received an out-of-the-blue phone call from Grammy Award-winning producer and composer Narada Michael Walden that set her on a collaborative path that continues to this day. Now, in much the same way Walden expanded her compositional horizons, she's created an app intended to amplify artistic endeavors. Efron launched the interactive app Muzi Creativity in January with a goal to buoy musicians, artists and others in creative fields. Designed to counteract burnout and help people navigate around mental blocks, Muzi engages with participants via an introductory quiz followed by weekly prompts, mission suggestions, reflections and tailored meditations. With more than six months of data and feedback from hundreds of subscribers around the world, Efron recently released an updated version of Muzi that leans into subscribers' fascination with the music-making process. 'Interviews with our first users taught me what I often learn when I'm creating things: Be simple! Be direct!' she said. 'In the first iteration of the app I was over-explaining everything. Now the UI is more self-explanatory. And since I'm not saying, 'First do this, now go here and do this,' I get to center the content that actually matters.' Efron was already an award-winning singer-songwriter who'd spent the past few years focusing on producing other artists when Walden reached out to her. The collaboration surfaced publicly in 2022 with 'Together We Run,' the opening track on ' Freedom,' Journey's first new studio album in more than a decade. 'He opened this whole door inside of me, writing for other artists,' Efron said of Walden. 'All of this was alchemizing in me, and it's come out in believing I have something to offer other artists.' Though Walden toured with Journey for a few years, taking over the drum chair from Steve Smith in 2020, he is usually the man behind the curtain, ensconced in his recording studio. Over the decades he's written and produced tracks on albums by several dozen era-defining artists, including Aretha Franklin, Regina Belle, Patti LaBelle, Mariah Carey, Diana Ross and Lisa Fischer, turning his Tarpan Studios in San Rafael into a magnet for a glittering constellation of pop, soul, R&B, rock and jazz stars. Songs he wrote or produced have been featured in more than a dozen films, from 'Bright Lights, Big City' (1988) and 'License to Kill' (1989) to 'Free Willy' (1993) and the massive hit soundtrack for 'The Bodyguard,' the 1992 blockbuster starring Whitney Houston. Even over the phone Waldon radiates live-wire energy, and it's easy to see how colliding with Efron's yoga-instructor calm could generate a yin/yang creative frisson. Walden reached out to Efron after seeing a video about her songwriting process, and they almost instantly got into a groove, bouncing ideas back and forth. For 'Together We Run' he gave her a melody and chord structure, and he remembers 'she came back with something that was a very Bruce Springsteen vibe.' 'I was looking for a story,' he said, adding that he knew 'we had to get the right chorus.' When he played it for Journey guitarist Neil Schon, 'he liked it, so we got into it, and had Randy Jackson add his thing.' The prolific collaboration seems to proceed in fits and starts as they exchange phrases, rhythms, choruses and bridges, often devising songs with particular artists in mind. 'I'll call her and text her and we send things back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. I'm really relentless,' Walden admitted. 'The good thing about Rachel is she's fast. She can keep up with my pace, and she's willing to try things. The spirit can be finicky and wants what it wants. You have to be willing to go with the spirit, not just the mind.' What's revelatory for Efron is that her new-found flexibility blossomed under Walden's insistent beat, enabling her to get out of her own head. Rather than grappling with her own perfectionism, the process of writing songs became 'this living, changing charisma between the two of us,' she said. 'I remember him telling me early on, 'You're great, you just need a boatload of confidence.' He meant it supportively, but also like, 'Fix this so it doesn't interfere with our work,'' she went on. 'I didn't realize how protected I felt in my identity as a 'struggling singer/songwriter' until he asked me to believe my work could reach more people.' Efron, 46, grew up outside Portland, Maine, and moved to San Francisco in 2001 after realizing, during her last semester at Harvard University, that she wanted to become a singer-songwriter. After performing around the region she released her debut album ' Say Goodbye ' in 2005, establishing her reputation as a quietly captivating performer with a gift for sensuous phrasing and emotionally insightful lyrics. Several albums followed, though her recorded output has slowed in recent years to occasional singles, like 2020's ' Your Money Costs Too Much.' The fact that she surrounded herself with top-shelf musicians — drummer Scott Amendola; bassist and producer Jon Evans; trumpeter Erik Jekabson and vocalist and producer Julie Wolf — imbued each of her recordings with an inviting sheen of intelligent professionalism that enhanced her laid-back lyricism. Without planning she seems to have been preparing herself to collaborate with Walden for years. Efron started thinking systematically about the nuts and bolts of songcraft in 2010 when Rob Ewing, the director of education at the Jazzschool in Berkeley, asked her to come up with a curriculum for a songwriting class. 'I went to a café and sat down and this 10-week course poured out of me,' she said. She taught the class for a decade, a period in which her focus shifted from performing and recording to coaching emerging songwriters. She had no interest in producing other artists, but when one of former Jazzschool students Alison Gant, persuaded her to produce and arrange her debut album (2020's ' Calling All Good Wishes Home '), Efron found she loved midwifing other artists' recordings. She's produced about a dozen albums since, including the acclaimed 2024 debut by David Hobbs, ' Searching for A Home,' as well as upcoming projects by Sierra Alyse and Norzin Chomphel — both of whom took the online Young Adult Songwriters Workshop she launched during the first year of the pandemic. (Efron also runs an online Songwriting Salon for tunesmiths of all ages.) Chomphel was a 17-year-old El Cerrito High student when she took the workshop, and before the course was done she hired Efron to help develop some of her songs. A suggestion that Chomphel might want to extend the bridge of one piece, which would allow her to add a lyric, exemplifies Efron's approach in preproduction. 'She gives you guidance, and does teach you, but gives you complete responsibility over your own song,' Chomphel said. 'It makes a songwriter so much more confident.' With Muzi, Efron is reaching a whole new constituency, inspired by confidence unleashed by Walden, a creative dervish presiding over a musical empire in Marin.
IOL News
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- IOL News
Holly Rey claps back at critic after being questioned over Hey Neighbour festival slot
From lineup criticism to clapbacks from local artists, this year's Hey Neighbour festival rollout has been anything but quiet. Image: Holly Rey/Instagram Music festival Hey Neighbour is two months away and has released more names of the artists that will be performing. Organisers have announced Grammy award-winning musician Doja Cat and the United Kingdom's trailblazing Central Cee and Leon Thomas as the headline acts. Acts for day 2 are DJ Lochive, Elaine, Akio, DJ Nkosh, Khuli Chana, Holly Rey, Nia Pearl, Tortured Soul, Sun El Musician and Muzi. The first Hey Neighbour festival created major impressions among festival goers, but it seems that this year's lineup might be struggling to live up to the high expectations. Hopeful attendees aren't too impressed with some of the local artists being brought to perform at the festival. @Shaun_thefirst tweeted: 'Guys who is making these decisions!!??' 'Bona themselves do they listen to Holly Rey? Have they ever picked their phone up to play a Holly Rey song? Would you leave your house to go listen to Holly Rey? Name me 5 Holly Rey songs.' However, Holly Rey clapped back and reminded the critic that her music is being listened to by her fans and she is deserving of being on the lineup. 'My bank account, Spotify streams and multiple songs that have gone multi platinum, in more then just Mzansi, would beg to differ, but who am I to argue with a wanna be DJ who puts 'umthandi wegqom' as their bio.' Fans of the festival have mixed reactions to the artists being announced and are making it known. @Miggs_NotMigos said: 'The hey neighbour lineup has me in stitches. 😭 so they spent their whole budget on Central Cee & Doja.. 😭😭' @SupremeShae said: 'Hey Neighbour day 2 line up is looking shaky🤣 only committing to Doja cause my homie wants to see her.' @Cocobby02 said: 'Hey Neighbour's marketing team is probably going through it. Every artist announcement is received with immediate backlash. I really hope they have more up their sleeves.' Hey Neighbour organisers, this year have made changes such as the festival being over two days instead of three. The festival will take place at Legends Adventure Farm, Pretoria on August 30 - 31.
The Citizen
04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Citizen
Muzi says being a fixer for David Blaine in South Africa was ‘wild'
Musician Muzi never imagined he would moonlight as a fixer for illusionist David Blane's new show. He said it was incredible. He's collaborated with some of music's biggest stars, played festivals around the world and Muzi's growing musical clout, artistry and popularity keeps nudging his career to superstardom. Never in his wildest dreams did he think that his career would take a quick segue as fixer and guide to David Blaine, illusionist and endurance artist extraordinaire. One minute Muzi was in the recording studio, the next he was hanging out with Blaine as he prepared to hang out with a pit of black mambas. 'I used to watch David Blaine on DSTV and on SABC3, back in the day,' Muzi said. 'To have been part of something like this? Wild.' Blaine's new National Geographic series, David Blaine: Do Not Attempt, is six episodes of daredevil-meets-documentary that's on National Geographic and Disney+. Shot in places as far-flung as Brazil, Japan, the Arctic and, of course, South Africa, the show takes viewers into extreme rituals, physical endurance feats and near-supernatural moments of human ability. And in the South African episode, it's Muzi's hand on the wheel. 'Being part of this was wild' 'The producers were fans of my music,' he said. 'So, when they were planning to shoot here, we started talking. I ended up suggesting places they could film, and next thing, I'm part of the team.' Muzi said his role was as a kind of cultural compass, helping guide the production team to locations and experiences that weren't just visually powerful, but spiritually resonant. Think local (car) spinners, wild game reserves, and ceremonies that aren't usually listed on TripAdvisor. 'They had their own fixers, but for a few of the locations, I got to be involved.' While being credited as both fixer and featured artist might be a first, Muzi is no stranger to global crossover. The Empangeni-born producer, songwriter and performer has played festival stages across continents, spent two years apprenticing Berlin's synth culture, and collaborated with Coldplay frontman Chris Martin three times. 'That was big for me,' he said. 'We've done songs together, I've remixed for them, and we even won three Loeries last year for the Allan Gray ad that used our track.' ALSO READ: Apple TV's The Studio satire satisfies Musically, Muzi shared his love of mashing up traditional Zulu spirituality with the high fidelity of electronic music. 'I hear visuals when I work,' he said. 'It's very much traditional ceremony, spiritual stuff but through a house and techno lens.' In short, dance music with depth. Not designed for trends, instead, it's setting them. 'I'm from here. This is the sound from here. But it travels,' he said. Sensory creative cues His creative cues are often sensory, too. Muzi said he is a visual thinker. 'Rain. A good film. A walk. I like being in the moment, paying attention to little things. I write it all down, even if it doesn't make sense yet. Eventually it does.' He records his music at home and then polishes it off at Flame Studios on Constitutional Hill. This is where he wrote the tracks that also made it to the soundtrack of Do Not Attempt. 'Once they were done filming, we asked about the soundtrack,' he said. 'We sent over my whole catalogue, and they chose three tracks. So, I'm on the soundtrack too.' As for Blaine, Muzi described him not as a magician, but as a master. 'He was so open to learning. No ego. Even when we were with black mambas and he had to lower his heart rate to avoid a bite, he did it. I got to see in real time what discipline looks like. I felt like I was in 50/50 or on Bear Grylls,' he said. 'Except this time, it was real life. And I was part of it.' Muzi's currently in studio Muzi is presently in the studio creating. 'I feel like the material I am working on may result in an album,' he said. He also has some dream collaborations he hopes to realise. 'Missy Elliott. Always Missy. I am a huge fan. I'd love to work with Culoe De Song. And there are amazing artists across the continent. I just did something with Blinky Bill in Kenya. There are these Zawose Queens from Tanzania, Super Jazz Club in Ghana. There's a lot happening in Africa and many artists I would like to work with.' NOW READ: U2's 'How to Reassemble an Atomic Bomb' is a satisfying throwback
