KARUN TALKS WRITING FIRST CHILDREN’S SONG WAKARIRÜ

Platoon is celebrating Africa Month with African Lullabies part 2, the second installment in the children’s music series African Lullabies. 

Taking a Pan African approach, African Lullabies Part 2 features top talents from around the continent including:  Asa, Ayra Starr, Karun, Teni, Simi, WurlD, Olayinka Ehi, Tresor, Manana, Aymos and Ntsika. 

Kenyan musician Karun talked about creating her first children’s song Dream Lullaby (Wakarirü, “It’s really cute to have been asked to make a children’s song. This is my first children’s song, I never thought I would. I really enjoy making calm, relaxing music so this made sense. I never saw children’s music as something that I would do but given the opportunity it’s something that I would jump on. I have a son and I like kids, it’s a cool challenge,” she said.

Karun added she learned a lot about herself while creating the song, “I learned a lot about myself when creating this song. I produced the whole song, I love layering vocals, I was playing around with different effects – I learned phasing. It was a lot of learning on the technical side of it. I also learned that there’s a lot more I need to connect with my mother tongue Kikuyu. Me and my grandmother connected over her helping me remember the lullaby at the end of the song. Kikuyu is my first language but I forgot it a long time ago, so I learned that I’m still connected to it.”

She also stated that growing up she would have loved to hear lullabies made by Kenyans, “I would have loved to have more lullabies made by Africans, made by Kenyans, just available for sure. Growing up I don’t feel like I lacked lullabies but there was a disconnect with the songs that were available. I’m so far removed from the culture that made songs like ‘Rock-aby Baby’ – I was so confused. It makes a big difference to have someone from where you’re from and being able to connect with what they went through in the context of the song.”