Mustafa releases his debut album Dunya today. The album marks his first full-length project following his 2021 project When Smoke Rises, which was acclaimed by the likes of the New York Times, NPR, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone and more. The album marks the intersection of Mustafa’s art and activism, the latter of which has most notably seen him produce two installments of his Artists For Aid concert series, which have taken place in New Jersey and London this year and featured the likes of 070 Shake, Blood Orange, Clairo, Daniel Caesar, Earl Sweatshirt, Faye Webster, FKA twigs, King Krule, Nicolas Jaar, Nick Hakim, Omar Apollo, Ramy Youssef, Stormzy, Yasiin Bey and more across the two events, in addition to Mustafa himself. The album’s release coincides with a stunning live performance of ‘Name of God’ that finds Mustafa performing alongside Micah Preite (guitar) and Kibrom Birhane (masenqo).
PREVIEW Mustafa – Name Of God Live
Despite only being released today, Dunya arrives alongside significant critical acclaim — praised by the likes of The Face and Kinfolk, both of which currently feature Mustafa on the covers of their current issues, in addition to the Associated Press, Rolling Stone, and Teen Vogue as well as a special sit-down conversation with UK favourites Chunkz & Filly on cultural harmony and the album’s larger themes of personal growth. Dunya’s release also coincides with the final instalment of a series of live conversations that Mustafa has been hosting around Europe and North America with special guests. After speaking with Daniel Caesar in Toronto, Ramy Youssef in Los Angeles, Anok Yai in Paris, and Dua Lipa in London, Mustafa will host an intimate, sold-out event this evening in New York City where he will discuss the themes of Dunya in conversation with Angelina Jolie.
Speaking about Dunya, Mustafa shares that he is “trying to preserve and celebrate the ordinary life in the hood,” a notion that is beautifully exemplified in a song like ‘SNL.’ But Dunya, which roughly translates from Arabic to “the world in all its flaws” is also an interrogation of his faith and lifelong relationship with Islam, something that Mustafa has referred to as “the longest, most peculiar relationship in my life.” This examination is evident on a song like “I’ll Go Anywhere,” which on surface examination reads as a folk song, albeit one that interpolates a melody his parents sang to him as a child and prominently features the oud, a Middle Eastern string instrument that folds seamlessly into the record’s unique, rich atmosphere paired with vocal contributions from Rosalía. This effortless mixture of disparate elements that seemingly shouldn’t work together, but ultimately do, speaks to the power of Mustafa’s work as an artist.
What the press is saying about Dunya:
“[a] distinctly modern take on folk music” – The New York Times
“the songs feel so personal, it seems as if your heart is breaking alongside the speaker” – The Face
“‘Dunya’ is a Gorgeous Treatise on Rage and Faith” – Rolling Stone
Mustafa
(Jagjaguwar)
September 27, 2024
- Name of God
- What Happened, Mohamed?
- Imaan
- What good is a heart?
- SNL
- I’ll Go Anywhere
- Beauty, end
- Old Life
- Gaza is Calling
- Leaving Toronto
- Hope is a Knife
- Nouri
Connect with Mustafa
