K’naan Gives Update On New Album: “Working On It”
K’naan’s fans have spent the last year waiting for news of a new album. After previewing the “Ha Ha” song last November and teasing several songs in a series of “making the album” videos last December and January, it had seemed that his new album was imminent. But as 2018 comes to a close, fans are still waiting on the music news. Our latest update from K’naan says simply that he is “working on it.”
A fan on Twitter gushed over K’naan’s song “My Old Home,” from his 2005 album The Dusty Foot Philosopher, and added, “We want more!” K’naan responded graciously, revealing only “Working on it.”
Thank you. Working on it
— K'naan Warsame (@KNAAN) November 9, 2018
While we don’t yet have a timeframe, we do at least have confirmation that the album is still in process. Last winter, K’naan wrote and recorded with Kyan and Krucial Keys in Los Angeles. We’ve heard previews of several songs, including “Hide And Seek” and “Come To America,” songs we’ll tentatively call “Bad At Love,” “Ha Ha,” and “Those Were The Days,” and some unnamed songs.
The last full song we heard from K’naan was “Immigrants (We Get The Job Done,)” part of The Hamilton Mixtape. In June 2017, the song also got a music video.
Latest K’naan News
It’s been a few years since we heard new music from K’naan. His last album, Country, God, Or The Girl, came out six years ago. It launched singles like “Is Anybody Out There?” (featuring Nelly Furtado) and “Hurt Me Tomorrow.”
Since then, K’naan spent much of his recent time developing a TV series called Mogadishu, Minnesota. Himself an immigrant from Mogadishu, Somalia, K’naan wrote, directed, and executive produced this show with the intention of highlighting the immigrant experience of Somalis in America. The HBO series was ordered to pilot in summer 2016, with filming occurring in early 2017. However, the show was met with scrutiny, with some Somali Americans concerned about how they’d be portrayed in the show.
Unfortunately, in September 2017, it was announced that HBO will not be moving forward with Mogadishu, Minnesota. In a statement, HBO said: “We value the relationship we’ve built working with the talented K’Naan Warsame and hope to have a chance to work with him in the future.” At this point, it’s unclear if Mogadishu, Minnesota would be able to move to another network, but for now, it seems we won’t get to see it.
Back to Music
In addition to exploring the television world, K’naan has also been working on new music. In March 2017 he was in the studio with Jim Jonsin. That April, K’naan was teasing new songs that aren’t out yet, confirming that he’s writing “a little somethin somethin” that way may get to hear soon. The new songs may include his sequel to “Until The Lion Learns To Speak,” a track from his first album.
By now, we’re getting really excited – if a bit impatient! – to hear the new K’naan album. With several song clips from the making of videos – plus the preview of “Ha Ha” from last November – we have a lot to look forward to. This could be K’naan’s best album yet!
With any luck, we should get some new K’naan music and news of an album soon. It should be out sometime in 2019. Keep checking back here for all the latest K’naan music news.
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