Tumi's Story......... from an interview by Diane Coetzer
It’s no secret that all eyes are on Africa to produce the music world’s next big thing – and if 24-year-old Tumi has anything to do with it, he’s going to be the one that unmasks the continent’s astonishing depth of contemporary talent with his debut album…………… No Guarantee.
It’s an ambitious move to have in your sights, but Branny Itumeleng Ramailane is no ordinary African.
Since his early years in South Africa he’s known, with that deeply-seated sense of surety that only the truly gifted have, that bigger things await him than bouncing aimlessly from one job to the next. As he says, “I've been dreaming about recording an album since I started singing in church back in the townships. It's a dream come true, but I still find myself sometimes listening to the tracks and thinking ‘wow I wish that was me’, and then I wake up and realise that it's no longer a dream. It is me!”
If Tumi sounds unabashedly enthusiastic about No Guarantee, then it’s because he is – and for excellent reason. Recording an album in Africa, especially independently, is no easy road and it’s Tumi’s passion, coupled with that of Rick Wright (with whom Tumi has established J2 Records), that has seen the 15-track reach completion. Says Tumi, “I'm pretty determined to get what I want in life and although I never doubted that I'd reach this stage, I never really knew how I'd get here. The journey has been quite challenging but I guess no tougher than every other young artist trying to break into the music business.”
With this last statement, and in typical Tumi style, the singer underplays the difficulties he has faced. Raised initially in Emndeni (Rockville) in Johannesburg’s legendary Soweto township, Tumi spent several years living in another township, Evaton, with his grandparents and more than a dozen other children, including his two siblings. It was only when he was 15 that he was able to live with his mother fulltime, moving into the Johannesburg inner-city area of Berea and then into one of the city’s suburbs.
It was when he was just 10 that Tumi’s vocal abilities came to the fore – initially when he joined a church choir in Evaton. A love of hymns, music and the vibe that only a township has were all easily stoked in the youngster and it wasn’t long before he was experimenting with opera, gospel and rap. At the age of 17, Tumi won a trophy on the regular Rap Activity Jam on Joburg’s youth station, YFM and at 21, demonstrating his exceptional vocal range, triumphed in a school competition, singing opera, later representing Gauteng (one of South Africa’s 11 provinces) at a National Schools opera singing competition. At the age of 23, he won a place on South Africa’s Fame Academy reality television show and while not making it through to the end, came to the attention of Wright who lives and works in Ghana.
But although he’s an enviably diverse singer, one listen to No Guarantee reveals that Tumi’s heart is taken by soulful R&B – yet in a way that ensures Tumi’s music stands out from that created by the rest of today’s urbanistas with it’s jazzy, funk and strongly percussive undertones, all of which lend it a subtle African flavour.
Explains Tumi, “The songs on No Guarantee may not be the traditional sound of Africa but it's my sound and I guess it's the sound of a new, developing, fresh, unique sound of a young African. There are also strong undertones of percussion throughout the album which is at the heart of African rhythm. I'm also a very proud African, so anything I do is naturally 'African'.”
Not only is No Guarantee the work of a proud African, it’s a showcase for Tumi’s strong songwriting, a craft he’s been honing since he was 15. He penned 13 of the 15 songs on the album – only “Tell Me Why” (co-written with friend Tebogo Moloto) and “Here I Am” (written by Mikey B.) are not from Tumi’s creative hand alone. “Songwriting is very important to me. It's something personal from your heart that you want to share with the world and the message and the emotions can only be real if the words are your own. There are exceptions, but in general I prefer to express my feelings and not someone else's.”
Having no formal songwriting training Tumi is always on alert for a melody or a line. “I've woken up many times in the middle of the night and had to write something down,” he says of the songwriting process. “I carry a small voice recorder with me in case something comes to mind. I don't really sit down and plan to write a song - I tend to get a melody or a line in my head and I'll write it down and maybe come back to it later and develop it over a period of time.”
The results of this are obvious on Tumi’s debut which sparkles with musical daring and variety. “I set out to make an R&B album,” Tumi explains, “but soon realised that there was a wide variety of tracks coming out, some R&B, some Funk, some Soul, some Slow-jam, some Jazz and I think that's great. I wanted to use my full vocal range and also to allow the musicians to fully express themselves.”
On an album of 15 super-strong songs it’s going to be hard to select a single, but contenders would be “Gotta Be This Way”, a full-throttle funky song about an errant lover, the slow-jamming “Honey”, and “Can I Make You Love Me”, a song that would not be out of place on an Usher recording.
What’s instantly striking about No Guarantee is its exceptionally high musicality – and from the start Tumi was intent on delivering an album that stood out. “This is my big chance. I guess people are going to judge me on this album, so it was very important that the final work was top quality.” The emphasis throughout is on live recordings. “There was no other option, I grew up with live music; in church, on the streets, all around me and I was very lucky to find such talented musicians and producers to help me achieve this. Very few acts today are recording fully live and to me, you just can't beat the intensity and richness of a live sound.”
After Leaving Project Fame Tumi spent some time in Ghana with Wright, and it was here that the singer and songwriter found his dream band, starting with guitarist, Mr Young, (“My Santana,” is how Tumi describes him) and including Emmanuel Tagoe (bass), Frank Kissi (drums), and Johnny 'fingers' Nortey (who has played with Ghana's acclaimed Osibisa band). A host of other big-name session musicians joined the recording in South Africa, among them trumpet player, Marcus Wyatt, percussionist Tlale Makhene, scratch artist Darren 'Redwood' Margo and backing singers R.J.Benjamin and Lira.
For an album littered with supremely affecting love songs, it may seem remarkable to an outsider that Tumi chose “No Guarantee” as the title of his debut album. But for this young Africa, the song is a summation of his life philosophy – a way of living that is all about integrity, grabbing the moment, living with eyes wide open, being in the moment. “I live my life as if I have a second chance,” Tumi sings in “No Guarantee” and the passion that drives the song forward is touching and infectious and speaks volumes about the artist himself.
Tumi is confident the raft of songs, exceptional production and musicality, and singular feel of No Guarantee will ensure he stands out from the many other artists attempting to penetrate the global music scene. “I feel that there is a lot of focus on Africa at the moment and I hope people will see me as a new and fresh up-and-coming African artist with an interesting and vibey African sound. I am very proud of this work and I hope that it will touch the souls of those that listen to it as much as it has touched mine.”