In case you've been sleeping on the thrilling rise of Mustafa (FKA Mustafa the Poet), it's time to get on board with this Sudanese-Canadian poet-singer-songwriter from Toronto. With writing being his early tool to escape the gang violence that surrounded him, Mustafa has grown to become one of the most sought after collaborators out, writing for the likes of Camila Cabello, The Weeknd, and Charlotte Day Wilson. His new album on Jagjaguwar is a sumptuous folky pleasure, featuring the likes of Daniel Caeser, Clairo, Rosalía, and Snoh Alegrah. - Flying Out
Dunya, the title of Mustafa’s masterfully crafted and breathtakingly tender full-length debut, roughly translates from Arabic to “the world in all its flaws.” It’s a lofty subject for a young songwriter, but as with every theme at the heart of the Sudanese-Canadian artist’s work—from religious devotion to childhood trauma, gang violence to romantic intimacy—he approaches it through a personal lens. Blending genres and moods, weaving novelistic details into instantly memorable folksongs, he has crafted a record that feels like a series of personal breakthroughs, arriving one after the other.
Album features include Daniel Caeser, Clairo, Rosalía, Snoh Alegrah, production from Aaron Dessner and more
Tracklist:
1. Name of God
2. What Happened, Mohamed?
3. Imaan
4. What good is a heart?
5. SNL
6. I’ll Go Anywhere
7. Beauty, end
8. Old Life
9. Gaza is Calling
10. Leaving Toronto
11. Hope is a knife
12. Nouri