"Mwaki" | ||||
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Single by Zerb featuring Sofiya Nzau | ||||
from the EP Surrender | ||||
Language | Kikuyu | |||
English title | "Fire" | |||
Released | 10 November 2023 | |||
Genre | Progressive house [1] | |||
Length | 3:28 | |||
Label | Th3rd Brain | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Zerb | |||
Zerb singles chronology | ||||
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Sofiya Nzau singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Mwaki" on YouTube |
"Mwaki" is a song by Brazilian DJ and producer Zerb from his third extended play (EP),Surrender (2023). It features Kenyan singer Sofiya Nzau who performs the song in Kikuyu,a language spoken by the Bantu ethnic group native to Central Kenya. [1] "Mwaki" was released as a single on 10 November 2023 through the independent record label,Th3rd Brain. [2] A month later,it went viral on the video-sharing service TikTok. [3]
Zerb discovered Nzau through vocal tracks she uploaded online and used it for his production of "Mwaki". [1]
"Mwaki" is a progressive house song written in the key of G minor with a tempo of 120 beats per minute. [1] [4] The title translates to "Fire" in Kikuyu language. [1] Nzau explained that the song is about "a woman who is in love with a man her parents are not in approval of,but she's willing to fight for him,and to cover him. Just so she can be with him. Just so she can experience love." [5]
The music video was directed by Indian director Mikhail Mehran and filmed at Hell's Gate National Park in Kenya. Zerb and Nzau appear in the video with a bevy of Kenyan dancers. The video was released on 29 January 2024. [1]
Weekly charts
| Monthly charts
Year-end charts
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Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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France (SNEP) [65] | Platinum | 200,000‡ |
Italy (FIMI) [66] | Platinum | 100,000‡ |
Streaming | ||
Greece (IFPI Greece) [67] | 2× Platinum | 4,000,000† |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |