Ibrahim S. Bangura commonly known as I-Bangs, a multitalented musician in Freetown has on Saturday June 29, 2024 released a new song titled, ‘Temeh Fa Fa’.
‘Temeh Fa Fa’ is a Susu word for ‘Baby Come Now’.
I-Bangs featured Double King, a voice tutor at the Ballanta Academy of Music and Performing Arts (BAMPA), who is also a multi-talented musician with many songs like ‘Hold My Hand’, ‘Mama Loving,’etc.
I-Bangs was inspired to write the song after a colleague at the University of Sierra Leone had expressed how much he missed his fiancé who travelled abroad on an errand.
He explained that after listening to his friend, he realized how powerful love is. “Love is something which no man can tell how it is made. It hurts you when you don’t have one; it hurts you even if you are lucky to get a beautiful one. My friend could not control himself since his fiancé went abroad,” I-Bangs said.
The melodies used in the song are catchy. The verses and chorus structure, repeated many times throughout the song, unifies the song so that it is easily remembered. The main message ‘Temeh Fa Fa’ is within the chorus which has a much higher range than the verse, which allows the chorus to stand out and contrast with the rest of the song and is quite a common technique in RnB music.
As the song develops, the texture begins to build, especially at the pre-chorus section approaching the chorus sector when new instruments are introduced such as the violin, piano and kick drum. This keeps variety and interest in the music and gives the verses and choruses freshness on each repeat. During the outro, Double King layers up melodies on top of each other which are perfectly complementary.
Joshua, aka Joshubeatz, produced the music. As a product of BAMPA he has produced many hit songs for some of the renowned artists in Sierra Leone, including Emmerson, Rahim D. Wizard, among others.
In his production, there are some incredibly impressive production values because although only a drum kick and vocal are featured at the beginning of the song, the music does not feel as though it is missing anything. The vocals are very percussive.
One of the main reasons this song feels more emotional than aggressive is the slow tempo. This decreases the heartbeat of the listener making them feel more restless, mimicking the way in which one’s body reacts to depression, reflecting the emotions that the lyrics express.
The song is very important to put on an Extended Play as it shows a raw vulnerability to the musicians and has the ability to emotionally connect with a large and varied audience. Musically, the song is extremely clever and has been executed masterfully by the production team and musicians- I-Bangs, Double King and Joshua.
I-Bangs started a career in music at the Ballanta Academy of Music and Performing Arts (BAMPA) in 2015 as a voice student. He further went on to study other musical instruments like the keyboard, guitar and flute.
He has five certificates in music: a Merit in grade 5 music theory from the Associate Board of Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2019; a Distinction in grade two flute practical in 2021 and a Merit in Flute grade three flute practical in 2023 from Music Teachers Board (MTB) in the UK, a Certificate in Music Performance from BAMPA in 2023 and a Certificate in Audio-Video Production from Nafora-Ba from the Ivory Coast in 2023.
He is a singer-songwriter who has contested in national and international singing competitions. In 2019, he contested in the Vocal Drift Inspire Singing Competetion where he topped the first audition among other incredible singers in Freetown. In 2024 under the managemnet of Godson 3Gs Music Management based in Swizerland, I-Bangs was auditioned for the Britain Got Talent Singing Competetion where he sang ‘Lift Me Up’ originally done by Rihanna and he also played the flute of ‘My Heart Will Go On’ a song done by Celine dion.
I-Bangs holds a Diploma in Mass Communications from Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone. He is a third year student at FBC, pursuing a BA in Mass Communications (Broadcast Journalism).