South African singer, Master KG has revealed how he felt when his Nigerian counterpart, Burna Boy, sang in Zulu on the remix of Jerusalema, his 2020 hit single in which he featured the latter.
In an interview with Punch, Master KG said he was shocked the first time he heard Burna Boy’s voice.
Debunking claims that he taught Burna Boy how to pronounce the words he spoke in Zulu on the song, Master KG explained that he knew nothing about how the self-styled African Giant learnt and understood the Zulu language he sang with.
“I remember the first time I heard his verse, he sang in Zulu language and I was shocked. I asked him where he learnt the Zulu language from but he just said, ‘don’t worry about that. How do you feel about the song?’
“It was amazing. A lot of people think that he asked me how to pronounce the words but he never did that, which shows you that he is an African man and an African giant. He showed that we are all one in Africa despite the languages we speak,” he was quoted as saying.
Also revealing that he didn’t pay a dime secure Burna Boy’s feature for the song, Master KG explained that the Nigerian music star may considered his request due to the commercial success of the song.
“I did not pay Burna Boy to feature on the remix of the song, Jerusalema. There was no paid fee for this feature to happen. The amazing thing about the song is that it was already popular. According to what I heard, the song was one of his favourite songs as well. It was so easy to make it work and make the collaboration a success. So, there was no payment for the feature.
“I also feel that the reason there was no money involved is that Burna Boy also loves the song and he related well with the song. It was not something he did for money instead he did it because it comes from his heart,” he added.
Jerusalema remix is certified gold in Austria, diamond in France and platinum in Belgium.