PJ Powers ft Radio and Weasel – Home to Africa

Uganda meets South Africa in the ‘Home to Africa’ remake. South Africa’s PJ Powers and Radio & Weasel from Uganda express their love for Africa through the lyrics, “I am going home to Africa to feel the love in Africa” in this three-and-a-half minute music video.

A couple of things stand out in this song: the use of backup singers who harmonise with Powers’s voice and African/tribal chanting ‘hela hela eeh’ – a style that Powers has always embraced in her songs, making this rendition sound even more African and sweet to the ear.

The visual production here is impeccable and the video carriers the same message as the lyrics: “This is the land where I am from – paradise”. This line is supported by background shots of nature as well as an urban setting. More precisely, the video features dancers dressed in traditional Ugandan costumes who move to South African rhythms. This add balance to the collaboration.  

The first two stanzas sung by Powers and Radio brings back nostalgic memories of the original song. However, this quickly changes when Weasel comes in with the last verse, his overly auto-tuned and raspy voice somewhat misplaced. This is expected since he embraces the reggae/dancehall singing style. Nonetheless, Powers ‘overpowers’ him in the last chorus and takes the song home.

The chemistry between the artists is impossible to ignore and one can see that the musicians involved had a blast producing the song and video. The viewer cannot resist but smile when Powers drops some rock moves as well as a traditional Zulu dance.

Remakes are known to turn classic songs into a hot new tracks. In this case of ‘Home to Africa’, however, there could be purist inclinations towards upvoting the original from Powers’s 1984 album Jabulani. Nonetheless, kudos to all the artists involved for daring to step out of their routines. This collaboration should definitely be repeated in the future, but with a new composition.