Botswana-born singer-songwriter Deena G and South African producer and DJ Sun-El Musician join forces on “Stay”, the first single from her debut EP, Transcend.
Built around Deena G’s vocals, piano and orchestral strings, “Stay” pairs a direct emotional message with Sun-El Musician’s melodic electronic production. The hook says it plainly: “Why don’t you stay a little longer here tonight?” It’s a song about wanting more time with someone when you know that time is running out.
Deena G explains the song’s origins and how the collaboration came together:
“’Stay’ is a song that speaks to those rare, beautiful moments in our lives that we know won’t last forever. Our time with our loved ones is limited, and I wrote this song at a time when I wished to pause the clock and hold on to a moment with someone I knew my time was limited with.
We connected during a show he did in Botswana, and at the time I had been working with Mpho.Wav, who Sun-El Musician was working closely with. After we met, we stayed in touch and would send each other ideas, until I had a studio session with him while I was in Joburg about a year later. At the time he was recording his album, but that’s where the idea for ‘Stay’ came about. As a huge fan of his music, it was an incredible opportunity, and I’m so grateful that I got to work with him and learn from him so early on in my career. Some of the greatest advice he gave me when it comes to songwriting is not to focus on the lyrics or the words of a song, but rather the melody, because that’s what people remember and connect with,” says Deena.
“Stay” introduces Transcend, a debut EP shaped by Deena G’s experiences of love, attachment, difficult endings and moving forward. The project brings together Sun-El Musician, Frigid Armadillo, BlaQRhythm and Ed-Ward, pairing her personal songwriting with South African electronic sounds.
For Deena G, the release also marks a chance to acknowledge the audience supporting her career and share what comes next:
“Thank you for all the support my fans in South Africa have shown me. I got into the industry three years ago and it’s because of them that I’m continuing to grow as an artist. It means the world to me to know that my music impacts my fans, and to know how much Afrohouse connects people regardless of where in the world you are from. I’m working on new music and have some exciting collaborations coming out for the festive season. But apart from that, I’ve been working with producers from different countries in Europe and would love to explore a new sonic direction with them, while still holding on to my Persian roots and the sound of South African Afrohouse. I’m hoping next year I can release another body of work, possibly an album.”
