K’naan Performs 2 New Songs From Upcoming Album, ‘Disgraceland’
Yesterday, K’naan performed at the Ottawa Bluesfest in Ontario. He’s playing a few festivals in Canada this summer, and has debuted two new songs: “Don’t Call Me Up” and “Disgraceland.” And if reporting is accurate, the latter is also the title track from his next album! Apparently, Disgraceland is due out this fall!
Ottawa Life described K’naan’s set at the Bluesfest. He played hits like “Wavin’ Flag,” “Hurt Me Tomorrow,” and his Bruno Mars collaboration, “The Lazy Song.”
In the debut of “Don’t Call Me Up,” K’naan explained “his strained relationship with charities.” Ottawa Life reports that, “though the message felt a little muddled in the rush of a concert, it didn’t hurt the song from really kicking into a groove from a musical stand point. He even threw in a sampled call with Lupita Nyong’o.” (K’naan previously dated actress Lupita Nyong’o.)
You can hear a portion of “Don’t Call Me Up” life from the Winnipeg Folk Festival below:
K’naan also debuted a song called “Disgraceland,” though we’re having trouble finding reviews or recordings of the song. It must be a good one, though, since Roots Music Canada reports that it’s the title of his next album. Sometime this fall fans should get to hear K’naan’s new album, Disgraceland. Roots Music Canada states that the album is “going to be a good one with some nice melodies mixed with K’naan’s thoughtful messages.”
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 nearly seven 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 late 2016, we finally got a new K’naan track with “Immigrants (We Get The Job Done,)” part of The Hamilton Mixtape. In June 2017, the song also got a music video.
In March 2017, K’naan was in the studio with Jim Jonsin. That April, he 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.
Between November 2017 and January 2018, K’naan wrote and recorded a full album 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. Add in “Don’t Call Me Up” and “Disgraceland,” and we have quite the album to look forward to!
The last we heard was that we’d hear new music “real soon,” as of this April.
A New Album
If what the reporting says is true, we have an excellent – and long-overdue – album coming our way this fall. With any luck, K’naan will start making official announcements and rolling out the lead single really soon here. We can’t wait! Keep checking back here for all the latest K’naan music news.
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