Artistes expressed interest in featuring on ‘NANA Remix’– Joshua Baraka tells GQ magazine

Music sensation Joshua Baraka featured in the South African edition of prestigious US men’s magazine GQ on Wednesday, July 12, with a career interview that saw him state that Maurice Kirya is one of his biggest inspirations.

Baraka explained to GQ that his style cannot be boxed in one genre, but rather is “an extension of his emotions and a reflection of my existence. It combines elements of soul, rhythmic nuances, and storytelling.”

The hit song NANA Remix, he claimed, was a product of admiration for the song by the artistes he assembled together to execute it, namely JoeBoy, King Promise and Bien.

According to Baraka, they expressed interest themselves.

“…all of them expressed interest in joining the song because they loved it. Being a huge fan of theirs, I eagerly accepted their collaboration requests. Working with them has been an invaluable learning experience, given their seniority in the industry…” he added.

In a recent television interview, however, Baraka said he was intentional about the remix, picking non-Ugandan artistes to specifically broaden the appeal of the song following its success in Uganda. He featured Kenya’s Sauti Sol’s BIEN, Nigeria’s Joeboy, and Ghana’s King Promise.  

Baraka also noted that he draws inspiration from Bob Marley, Chronixx, Pompi, Cory Henry, Oscar Peterson and several other gospel and jazz instrumentalists.