By Ibrahim S. Bangura
Telem Uncommon Sound, a popular music organisation in Freetown, will release their first album, titled ‘Strong Team’ at Aqua Sports Club at Murray Town in the west of Freetown.
The Album will be launched on Saturday, February 17, 2024, according to Solo’s Beat, the Co-Founder of the Organisation. It is a compilation of original music composed at the 2023 Telem Week Song Writing Retreat: which was a global blend of music genres from singers and instrumentalists from Sierra Leone, Jamaica, Nigeria, and the U.S.
He said that incorporating international artists into their music-making retreat was as a result of exchanging cultural and innovative ideas. “Indeed, exchanging ideas with those international artists greatly helped us as a non-governmental organization as well as the country with better ideas about Creative Arts especially the music sector. As an organisation, we believe collaboration is the key tool for development. We want to change the narrative of the Creative Arts in Sierra Leone, so we encourage everyone to join us to make that change we all want to see for Sierra Leone. We are kindly inviting everyone to witness this forthcoming album launching,” he said.
He said that to reserve a seat for the launching, people should pay for their tickets (150 NLE for youth entry, 300 NLE for general entry, 750 NLE for Telem Champ and 1,000 NLE for Creative Sector Warrior) on +23278991991 or to +232 77 85 66 81 or should pay cash at the gate. “Come to our album release event to hear the songs live, and get an insider understanding of how the musicians behind the songs put it all together. There is limited seating for this intimate event, so we are only taking reservations. Thank you for supporting a thriving creative sector in Sierra Leone! You’ll hear totally new songs reflecting the fresh wave of uncommon sounds coming out of Sierra Leone. Come with a group and make it a great night together!”
Telem Uncommon Sounds, which was founded in 2021, seeks to bring about a brilliant new era in music in Sierra Leone, such that there are more viable opportunities for Sierra Leonean musicians to make, perform, and share experimental music that are still locally rooted; and more Sierra Leonean musicians are sharing this music in global music channels, performance stages, and cultural influencing roles. Founded by three local singer-songwriters and working with a team of extended musicians and performing artists, Telem offers training in songwriting and music production, stage concerts and other live events, and works to develop the vibrant Sierra Leone music ecosystem. The global culture craves what Africa has to offer, and Telem wants to help put Sierra Leonean musicians at the forefront of that demand.