Mustafa 'When Smoke Rises': Air time, how to live stream, concept and all you need to know about singer's debut album
Rising artist Mustafa is set to release his debut studio album 'When Smoke Rises' later this year. Mustafa Ahmed, better known by his stage names Mustafa the Poet and Mustafa, is a poet, singer, songwriter and filmmaker from Toronto, Ontario. He was born in Toronto, Ontario, to Sudanese parents.
When he was in grade seven, he performed an original piece, 'A Single Rose', at Nelson Mandela Park Public School. His performance received much attention, earning him high praises at Toronto's Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival in 2009. During that time, Mustafa was known for writing poems about poverty in Africa and poverty in the Regent Park area. Mustafa has had a rough upbringing in his hometown. During his youth, Mustafa was a witness to gun violence and street gangs.
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As an artist, Mustafa has swiftly made name for himself and received a number of notable accolades. In 2019, he won a Grammy for Best Urban Contemporary Album, credited as a songwriter for the Weeknd's LP 'Starboy'. Last year, he took home two awards for the category of Award-Winning Song at the BMI Pop Awards and the category of Pop Music Awards at the SOCAN Awards. Mustafa has songwriting credits for songs by the likes of Shawn Mendes, Camila Cabello, the Jonas Brothers, and more.
Now with the announcement of his debut studio album, fans have been eager to see the release of a large project under his own name. Here's all you need to know about 'When Smoke Rises' below.
Air time
'When Smoke Rises' is scheduled to release on May 28, 2021.
Livestream
At the time of writing this article, it is unclear what streaming platforms the album will release on. We will update this space once we receive further information in the future.
Concept
Mustafa's debut project will be released through the artist's own record label Regent Park Songs, which is named after his Toronto neighborhood. According to reports, the album will feature collaborations with Blake, Frank Dukes and Jamie xx, while Sampha is revealed as a guest feature with the arrival of the tracklist. Additionally, it will receive contributions from longtime friends and Regent Park natives Rax, Puffy L'z, cityboymoe, and both the late Ali Rizeig and Smoke Dawg.
Following after previously shared songs 'Stay Alive', 'Air Forces' and the James Blake-assisted 'Come Back', Mustafa has dropped another single from the album, titled 'Air'. The emotional folk-tinged track pays homage to his friend who was shot and killed four years ago. It is accompanied by a self-directed music video, ending with a dedication to "Ali Rizeig 1998-2017". Watch the official music video below.
Mustafa has spoken of the album with GQ Middle East in February. He said, "A debut album should examine my life. The joy and the pitfalls and love. But I think loss was perhaps preventing me from exploring any other experiences. I wanted to honor my friends' passing and examine their transition with beauty. There's peace in that." Speaking of his own emotional response to listening back to the album, he added, "I literally threw up in the middle of the street after I heard it. I felt like I was experiencing a transgression against myself. But completing the project felt like the beginning of the rest of my life."
Tracklist
1. ‘Stay Alive’
2. ‘Air Forces’
3. ‘Separate’
4. ‘The Hearse’
5. ‘Capo (Feat. Sampha)’
6. ‘Ali’
7. ‘What About Heaven’
8. ‘Come Back’