JAZZ musician, Natalie Rungan, has released her latest single, Solitude.
Rungan described the collaboration between her and Prince Bulo, a bass player, musician, producer and DJ, as something of a serendipitous coming together of their unique sounds.
“The song was part of a project that Prince was working on. He worked on a chord progression and sent it to me. While he was playing the piano, I could hear the lyrics in the melody like it was speaking to me before the melody was even finalised.
“I felt the mood of the song, and the song came together from there with ease. When I write, I allow the mood I hear in the song to direct the lyrics. This mood felt haunting and sultry, echoed in the lyrics and how I sang the melody.”
Rungan said they had a fantastic synergy in the studio.
“We are friends first, which makes the time spent together more fun than actual work. But trust me, we work. When we have time, we often spend a few hours working on an idea that comes to us at that moment. Bulo calls it ‘three chords and a story’.
“He plays the chords until it settles as a concrete idea, and I come up with the melody and a story. The process does not take much time. This is because we have years of experience, and music is an extension of who we are. I have a lot to say it would seem, so this song, as with others, resulted from a day like that.”
She said Solitude and many other songs that are yet to be released would be part of an album.
“We are busy with the post-production of a new album I have coming out later this year. It’s Jazz Standards-Volume 2. Prince recorded this with Sibusiso Mashiloane and me after a concert at the KZN Schools Jazz Festival.
“The album is part of a series I am working on to create content for jazz vocals at the school level. It’s a part of my vision to advance jazz education at KZN schools. I recorded Volume 1 with Melvin Peters, Shaun Johannes and Bruce Baker in 2021. This is the second of three I hope to put out.”
Solitude is available on digital music platforms. For more information, visit Rungan’s website.