Apple Music’s Africa Now Radio this Friday with SARZ

This Week’s Episode Features a Conversation With Sarz and the 5 Hottest Tracks of the Week!

Tune in to Africa Now Radio with Nandi Madida this Friday, September 26th at 9a Lagos/London / 10a Johannesburg/Paris / 1a LA / 4a NYC on Apple Music 1 and broadcast on YFM Accra every Sunday at 2pm, YFM Kumasi on Saturdays at 3pm and YFM Takoradi on Saturdays at 6pm.

Cover Star Interview
Nigerian producer and musician Sarz joins Nandi Madida via FaceTime on Apple Music 1 to talk about his latest single “Getting Paid” feat. Wizkid, Asake and Skillibeng. He also discusses the Sarz Academy and helping young producers get their start in the industry,  making Afro-House in the future,  and the story behind the album title ‘Protect Sarz At All Costs’.

This Week’s Hottest New Tracks
Nandi Madida shares the hottest new African tracks of the moment. This week’s selection includes new tracks from Fireboy DML & Pheelz feat. L.A.X, Tyler ICU & Tyrone Dee feat. Khalil Harrison, Tumelo.za & Ceeka RSA, Camidoh, Nomfundo Moh feat. Sun-El Musician, Simmy, LeeKeyz & NDLOH JNR and Faceless & ru.

Tune in and listen to the full episode this Friday, September 26th at 9a Lagos/London / 10a Johannesburg/Paris / 1a LA / 4a NYC on Apple Music 1 at apple.co/_AfricaNow and broadcast onYFM Accra every Sunday at 2pm, YFM Kumasi on Saturdays at 3pm and YFM Takoradi on Saturdays at 6pm.

Sarz tells Apple Music about the Sarz Academy and helping young producers get their start in the industry
To be honest, I see myself as a human being first before anything. What are you in life for if you’re not going to give a helping hand to the next generation? This is something I didn’t get from people when I needed it coming up. I just want to start with me and make an impact and be the link or the bridge that changes other people’s lives. All these people that have been through my academy are also exceptionally talented. And I’m so glad that I have some of the top producers in Afrobeats now, that are from my academy, doing amazing things. Even doing more things than I’m doing, having better opportunities than I had. It’s so great to see. It’s so important because I know the struggles I went through. I produced songs for people. I didn’t get paid, I didn’t get no publishing. I didn’t know anything. Sometimes I didn’t even know my rights. So it’s amazing to see that producers, 18 years old, 20 years old, they know these things now and they know their value and they can make a good living from making music, which is very important to me. I don’t want to gain anything financially from it. I think it’s just my way of giving back to the world what the world has given me.

Sarz tells Apple Music about DJ Maphorisa
Maphorisa, insane. His catalog is amazing. I can’t even comprehend how he churns out that much music and it’s all good.

Sarz tells Apple Music about making Afro-House in the future
Watch this space. Hey, I mean we’re creative people. Why just stick to a certain sound or world? We can do anything we like. The world is our oyster so let’s do it.

Sarz tells Apple Music about the positive reactions to the album
This album has lived with me for a bit, and sometimes you don’t know how special the work you’ve done is because you’re just used to it. It’s around you all the time. You’ve heard it a million times and you’re probably over it before it comes out. So hearing other people and seeing how the music makes them feel just reminds you of how special it is and how much work you’ve put into it, and how intentional you’ve been throughout the journey. So I’m very glad that it made you feel that way.

Sarz tells Apple Music about the album title ‘Protect Sarz At All Costs’
It’s a figure of speech. So the way I see it, there’s a part of you in everyone else. Everyone sees themselves in a part of you. So Protect Sarz At All Costs means protect yourself at all costs because there’s a bit of Sarz in everyone else. If you’re someone that’s disciplined, there’s a bit of Sarz in you. If you’re someone that’s creative, there’s a bit of Sarz in you. If you’re someone that gets anxious sometimes, there’s a bit of Sarz in you. So it’s really a reflective album about protecting yourself at all costs because everyone’s special, everyone has special energy, and that’s what the title really is about. It’s a figure of speech, but also… Sarz needs to be protected at all costs because of the amazing work he’s done, of his impact in the Afrobeats community that every African is proud of today. Music from Africa is one of the reasons why it’s cool to be African now globally. So why don’t we protect one of the people that made this happen?

Sarz tells Apple Music about collaboration and putting the album together. 
It’s been a journey. It is been hectic putting an album together, getting all these people in one place at the same time, it’s been a struggle. But I’m so glad we’re here and I’m so glad to celebrate the album with everyone involved. I’m so thankful for everyone that came through for me. This really means so much to me. So this is the medium for me, just telling them, thank you so much. If there’s something I know I possess as a skill, it’s just knowing how to collaborate with anyone. I can figure out how to make music with anyone. And most of the people on this album never sounded like this before, so I think that this album opens a new perspective to their artistry. Because if you hear most of the songs they’ve made on their catalogs, it’s a bit different from what’s on the album. So I am excited for the world to hear that and just see my version of all these creative people that came together to make this album.

Sarz tells Apple Music about pushing boundaries
I think more than ever, we need to try new ideas because sometimes with Afrobeats, we like to recycle sounds. And I think that this project is important because I think it’s going to inspire people to try new things. Producers are the architects, the architects of the sound, so if there’s anyone that can do this… Shout out to every producer out there shaping the sound, putting in that work. You’re amazing. Don’t stop.

Sarz tells Apple Music about the Wizkid, Asake and Skillibeng collab “Getting Paid”
This is the first time we’re hearing Skillibeng, Asake, and Wizkid on this track together. I can’t wait for the world to hear this as well. And everyone came so slick on the track.

Sarz tells Apple Music about Victony
Victony is sick. We have other songs as well that I’m really excited about apart from this one on the album. He’s someone I really love to work with.

Sarz tells Apple Music what he looks for in a collaborator
Anything interesting. I don’t know. Anything my ears resonate with. It can be anything really. It can just be the tone of someone’s voice. It can be the way someone writes their music, or it could just be something that just brings up an emotion from me. I can’t really say specifically what I look for. It’s like when you go to a store, when you’re shopping, you see something and you just know you’re going to get that. You’re just like yeah, that’s it, that’s the one.