News

Premiere: Muthoni The Drummer Queen – Make It Right

• 26th May 2016

We caught up with Muthoni The Drummer Queen recently to chat about her new single ‘Make It Right’ feat. The Rambling Wheels which we’re very pleased to be exclusively premiering today – check it out below. The queen of Nairobi’s urban scene, Muthoni the Drummer Queen (MDQ) collaborates with Swiss producers HOOK and GR! on the new track – a classic ode to soul singers of old that proves she has one hell of a voice.

Do you still remember the day you wrote ‘Make it Right’? Tell us a bit about it.
Honestly, no! It was most likely a super uneventful day in the life of MDQ. Usually I put a date on the paper when I write a song, but looking at this date…I have nothing eventful.

The rumor is, that you didn’t really feel the song at first – is that right? Why is that?
Even now, I’m not convinced about this song. Mostly because I feel that the style of the song is an ode to an era of really incredible singers – Etta James, Aretha Franklin –and I really don’t know how to sound like that.

What if the song blows up?
We have to make a clone of MDQ who time travels to learn how to sing from Etta James!

So who is GR! and HOOK? And what should we know about them?
First, GR & HOOK are as different from each other as night and day! GR is quite chilled, HOOK has sugar-induced ADD! GR & HOOK fight like a married couple. Its so funny to watch. Oh and HOOK vacuums down his food in 2.4 minutes.

How would you describe a typical session with GR! and HOOK? Do you guys have any special studio rituals?
Typically, we get into the studio around 9:30 am. Hook warms up the machines while I make tea and breakfast (usually microwaved eggs) and GR checks his mail and then turns off the internet on the phone (the disciplined member of the crew) then we start the day. Maybe we have a discussion about music/life/the song…and then whatever we are creating starts to happen.

Are you guys working on more tunes together? And are they similar in sound and vibe to this one?
We are currently working on a project. Hopefully, we get to about 12 tracks. We are more than halfway there so we are quite optimistic. They don’t sound like “Make it Right”.

Can we see you guys live at some point?
We have a series of shows this coming summer including Stolze Festival and Festi Neuch on 4th and 11th June respectively.

Listen to ‘Make It Right’ here: