Feature | Khulula

I don’t know if it’s the fact that I’m getting older or just that I’m so sick of the repetitive, copy and paste garbage that is mainstream music today (it’s probably a bit of both), but I find myself seeking and listening to more and more original and independent artists these days, and this is how I stumbled upon Anacy.

To me, music is supposed to be about an artist’s unique self-expression, inherent identity, and cultural background, not simply a product to be packaged and profited off. Thankfully, all three of these aspects flourish within the spirit of Anacy’s music and I found the result to be a flavorful mix of genre-bending sound and rich African soul and style.  

After listening to Khulula, I immediately had to look up the meaning of the word and found that it meant to untie or to be set free. I feel like this is a great description of the song as well as of Anacy’s music as a whole. In my own opinion, the song felt fresh and modern, but was also steeped in the distinct roots of rhythm that is easily identifiable in African music in general. On a broader music scale, it also felt like it fused this African sound with the previous decades of iconic pop music really well, bringing it into 2026 with a new level of life and clarity. I mean who knew that African drum and electronic synth could sound so good to the ears?

I also kind of got Kate Bush vibes from Anacy’s voice and lyrical delivery, as well as her musical creativity, and I mean this in the absolute best way possible. Both seem experimental and fluctuating in parts while also staying grounded and humble in the same instance. It’s kind of hard to explain in words, you’ll have to listen to the song for yourself to know what I mean, but once you do I think you’ll understand.  

Another aspect of Khulula I really liked is how Anacy tied together the idea of personal connection with the larger world and how we are becoming more and more interconnected every day, both spatially and culturally. But also, at the same time, how we are more disconnected than ever! Using the iconography and lingo of air travel to symbolize this works really well artistically and I wish more songs these days would go to this degree of thoughtfulness.

All in all, I felt Khulula to be a fun, fresh, and festive tune that blends together some musical genres and interesting philosophical ideas into one easy listening track. If you’re looking for a unique song to shake your hips to this July or to help contemplate the complexities of our connections to one another and the world at large, Khulula is definitely worth checking out!