The Rwandan born, Belgium and France raised, and now London based singer shares one of our most eclectic playlists yet for this week's Tape Exchange, featuring Afrobeats, R&B, pop, indie and Ivorian Zouglou. “I have such weird music tastes!” she reflects after revealing some of her guilty house party pleasures - but, just as in her own music, this wide-ranging melange of influences come together to create something special, and most of all, fun. Saràh’s new single “Tesla” is out now.
What song reminds you most of your childhood?“Ordinary People” by John Legend. It was always around, and I just grew up on it. I remember hearing it so many times and I would always stop and listen to every single element of the song, replaying it because I was like, “oh my God, I want to hear this again, I want to listen to this part, I want to listen to the background vocals.” I thought it was really cool. Another one would be Nelly and Kelly. At that time I didn't even speak English, so I would tell my mom, can you play the “[singing the D-Train sample]” song? And my grandpa would play Cuban music every Sunday, and we would always dance. So I'm very familiar with pachanga and really niche dances from that side of the world. It was a musical family, and at every single party, I was always the kid dancing. |
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What was the first record you remember buying?
My mom actually used to have a record store in Kinshasa before I was born. She would bring me CDs from Europe whenever she was travelling, and I remember she would play music in the car. She bought me my first CD as well, I think it was either a Beyoncé album or a Mariah Carey album.
What song reminds you of traveling to a specific place?
“Somewhere Only We Know” by Keane reminds me of taking vacations with my sisters. We would go to an island in Rwanda. You would think that the country is so small that they don't even have islands, but they do have a lake area. The drive was always super long and it was so dangerous. It was those really crazy kinds of roads on the side of a mountain. Rwanda didn't have a lot of infrastructure when we were young, so you would be driving at night, with no barriers on the roads. It was insane. Compared to how Rwanda is now, it's completely night and day. But I remember sitting in the backseat being bumped around with all my cousins, just listening to that song.
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What song is the best representation of your hometown?P-Square, “Do Me.” That's what reminds me of home. They’re a Nigerian group, but I remember that was the first concert I ever went to, when I was a kid in Rwanda. I know I was too damn young to be going to a concert, too. |
What song do you wish you had written?
It’s so funny that you would ask that, because I actually have a playlist called “Why the Heck Did I Not Write This?” So, I have a few answers; there's this song by MØ called “Purple Like The Summer Rain”. “Why Don't You” by Cleo Sol, 070 Shake “Microdosing”, “Paranoid” by Kanye. You’re getting the full playlist here! “Hometown Glory” and “Chasing Pavements” by Adele. And then James Blake, “Retrograde.” That's it. Oh, and also “Fireflies” by Owl City.
What song would you want played at your wedding?
“Do Me” by P-Square, haha! I actually have a playlist of songs to play at my wedding, too. My partner is from a completely different culture than I am, so I always say, “just know our playlist is going to be absolutely mad.” I do plan on getting married, and having a football team of kids as well. I'm a dreamer and I have to visualize things - I think that's how everything happens for me in general. I talk a lot about what I want to do, and I pray a lot as well. I've never just been afraid of saying what I wanted.
What song would you want played at your funeral?
I don’t have an answer because I don't want to put it in the universe, but I would probably make a playlist for that too. I would just want everyone to be happy as hell, and please give my body to science. I do not want to be in a coffin. It's going to piss me off to be lying there in a box. That's all I know for now.
What’s the best song to play at a house party?
At the moment, anything Cash Cobain. It depends what kind of house party I’m in, but I’m very much a pop girlie so I probably would want to play some of my guilty pleasures, like some Katy Perry or Rihanna - something I can get white girl wasted to.
You’re abducted by aliens, and when you wake up on the spaceship, they pass you the aux. What is the song you’re playing to convince them not to destroy Earth?
It's a song called “Premiere Gaou” by an Ivorian artist, Magic System. Either that, or I’d play “Wonderwall” and be like, “please, I have a whole love story going on down there, it's actually so cute.” “Maybe, you’re gonna be the one that saves me…” It makes a lot of sense. Yeah, it would probably be that and then it's either they love it, or they just kill me and everybody else.