Formed in 2020, after the viral TikTok hit of their song Yaba Buluku, the Mozambican musical collective, Yaba Buluku Boys is one of the hottest music group on the continent. The group which consists of the dynamic trio of Dj Tarico, the producing brain of the group, Nelson Tivane, the skilled songwriter of the group and recording artist, Preck, who is a gifted connoisseur of Southern Africa’s afro-dance genre and other popular indigenous sounds.
Following the success of their debut single, the group enlisted Grammy-award winning artist Burna Boy for the Yaba Buluku remix. Released in 2021, the remix has since become one of the year’s biggest songs, accumulating more than six million streams worldwide and over one million Shazams. This breakthrough success saw the group nominated for several awards in the continent’s most prestigious music awards show, the AFRIMAs (All Africa Music Awards). Their nominations in the upcoming awards include: Song of the Year, Best African Collaboration and Best Artiste, Duo or Group in Africa.
Poppulse had the chance for an exclusive virtual interview with the group on Zoom. Fresh from being nominated for the AFRIMAs, the group was buzzing with excitement and it was so infectious throughout our interview.
Continue below for our full-length conversation, edited for conciseness.
Let’s start with how the viral hit Yaba Buluku came about?
Dj Tarico produced the song first then he got Nelson to write the song and then we enlisted Preck to bring sound to the song, and we unknowingly had a hit on our hands.
How did the three of you form the group?
So after the song Yaba Buluku became massive, we decided to form the group off the name of the song.
Having had a TikTok viral song, how do you believe the Internet has changed how music can be consumed and marketed?
We didn’t spend much on promoting the song, people on social media, especially TikTok did that for us without us even asking them. We love that we get an instant response from people. We love that we don’t only rely on radio or TV for a massive song, anyone can help to make our song big while we sit back and enjoy.
How did the remix collab with Burna Boy come about? What did you learn from working with him?
Burna Boy loved the song and decided he wanted to be a part of it. So he sent his part and we went to Nigeria to shoot the song. He is a nice guy, very humble. We enjoyed working on the song.
How do you deal with any creative differences?
We generally work in harmony so it helps us avoid any conflict.
On which music stages/festivals would you love to perform?
All of them.
How does it feel being nominated for 3 Afrimas? Does an Afrima nomination help to propel your career further especially on the African continent?
It feels great to be nominated in a continental award. It means people recognise our work. Also, DJ Tarico is nominated for two other awards: Best DJ and Producer. We are very happy and proud.
Should we expect any new music?
Yes we are currently working on new music, so you can expect an EP soon.