Following the release of his debut single, “Can You Be My Friend”, boys and King elaborates on his track with a light-hearted visual portraying what it feels like to be in a one-sided relationship.
Full name Kamva Nombembe, boys and King is a Pretoria-hailing singer-songwriter currently based in the US, and does everything from writing his songs to producing and performing them.
And he’s no bedroom-trained muso either. Nombembe graduated from Berklee College of Music with a degree in Contemporary Writing and Production, and uses his skill set to craft a fusion of pop, R&B, and hip hop.
“Can You Be My Friend” is tender, it’s current, with a laid-back melody and an indulgent, rhythmic bassline that sits under sweet piano chords. It’s very James Blake, which, when considering SA’s unfaltering love for the song writer and producer, bodes extremely well for boys and King.
Yet he sets himself apart from typical R&B producers by adding elements of Afropop and gospel to his writing, making for a composition style that’s bursting with the potential to be amazing.
The video, directed by Every Visual, shows Nombembe in a studio set-up, surrounded by teddy bears and childlike items, overlaid with a vintage film gradient that seeks to give the visual that low-fi, more authentic edge.
Alongside the video, Nombembe has also released a live rendition of the song, filmed on a rainy day in his backyard, which shows off his vocal range in eloquent, unassuming fashion, bringing his novel talent to the centre-stage.
Feature pic supplied by artist
