Baraka Shares New Single, “I Will Be There”
St. John’s based Tanzanian-born singer/songwriter BARAKA announces the lead single off his upcoming EP, Voicemail.
When the COVID-19 pandemic started, Baraka found himself alone. Trapped inside his apartment in a foreign country, thousands of miles away from his family in Tanzania. The resulting stress and isolation sent him into a mental health spiral; there were days when he hardly left his room.
Through this darkness, he had that eureka moment that inspired the song “I Will Be There.” As a songwriter who primarily writes about relationships and other people, there was something so fulfilling for Baraka to write a song for himself. “I Will Be There” is an anthem of self-love and a reminder that we all need to take the time to take care of ourselves and be there for ourselves. Whether it’s going for a walk, taking the initiative to get help, listening to your favorite artist, or cooking yourself a meal, it’s important to take the time to look after your mental health and overall well-being.
Baraka’s hope is that this song will make people feel good, and inspire them to spread love and positivity throughout the world.
Listen to “I Will Be There” below and learn more about Baraka via our Five Questions With segment.
Care to introduce yourself to our readers?
I’m Baraka, Tanzanian-born, Canadian-based singer/songwriter who just loves to sing and play guitar. My mission with my music is to connect to and with as many people as possible, sharing stories and experiences that can hopefully help somebody out or make them feel something special when they hear my music—like something to soothe the heart & soul.
Tell us a bit about your most recent release.
I Will Be There is a song about self-love and care during trying times. In my experience, when people go through difficult things, the mental, spiritual, physical, and/or emotional challenges tend to make people forget the beauty and magic of doing something—and I mean anything—for themselves to help them improve their circumstances. I fully understand the need to process tough times and express emotions as much as is necessary; but when the dust settles, and things still feel terrible, it’s what you do in that moment that can help your situation. It might be as trivial as taking a 10-minute walk, calling a friend to chat, or maybe even having a brief conversation about counselling or therapy; on your darkest day, it’s important to remember that true strength often doesn’t look like what we may think—true strength (or at least part of it) lies in the little things we do consistently over time to try to make the future better.
Where do you tend to pull inspiration from when writing?
A lot of times, my inspiration comes from either a personal or shared experience. I love socializing, I think there’s so much opportunity to learn something and be inspired by someone else’s stories. Humans and the world are very complex, and music always dives into this complexity to bring out powerful works of art that people can relate to and enjoy.
I’m also completely mesmerized by the acoustic guitar. Any time I play even the simplest of chords, the resonance, the sound, the beauty of the instrument almost feels like it guides me to write, there’s an energy I always feel when playing the acoustic guitar and I just can’t quite figure it out—but maybe I’m not supposed to, like a gift from God you have no idea how it comes about.
Do you have any upcoming shows you’d like to tell us about?
Yes! So I’m very very excited to be playing at the 47th Annual NL Folk Festival in St. John’s, NL on July 8, 2023. It feels surreal to be playing at such a massive and cherished event. I’ve never played a festival of that magnitude before so I’m very very excited! I’ve always loved just kicking it under a tree in Bannerman Park with a guitar and some friends, but to play there this summer on a stage in front of a crowd is going to be magical.
What’s your goal for 2023?
My biggest goal this 2023 is to put more music out. Being in school for so long and only being able to do so much meant that I didn’t have enough time to really focus on what I love and consistently build my signature sound. With the help of Matt Dines and Dave Shears at Hurricane Music, I feel like I’ve really figured out what it is I want to put out there—I want a Baraka song to be instantly recognizable and for the music to be something people can turn to whenever they need it. I’m releasing my debut solo EP, Voicemail and it’s something the team at Hurricane Music and I have put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into to make sure it’s that feel-good music that also has messages worth listening to.