I wrote 'On My Mind' during my solo road trip across California in October 2019. Those were different times! I had a basic structure with chosen sounds and instruments on my phone, and I kept looping it on my rental car's sound system while contemplating West Coast sunsets and humming the song's chorus.
That was on my mind driving over a thousand miles through the state of California. During my road trip, I met a lot of people and felt totally self-sufficient in exploring uncharted territories. However, the whole time I was thinking about my partner, and consequently all my loved ones. I realised how inevitably connected I am to my roots, and that wherever I am in this world there will be threads leading back to my sense of belonging. Those threads aren't to do with residency, nationality or citizenship: travelling from London to Los Angeles I realised that I can connect with places and people around the world. The threads that connect us are all about love, the people we turn to in life and in our dreams, the relationships we long for, the nostalgia, the past regrets and the future hopes.
'On My Mind' is a song about longing for love, but it's also a song about lost and past loves. My Rugema's rap verse serves as a stunning counterposition to my own. My verse introduces the "departed" woman's confession, while My Rugema's response explains the situation of a man who lost in the game of love. Together, our vocals blend beautifully with the instrumental featuring Allexa Nava on Aerophone and Shakira Malkani on drums.
Written, produced and arranged by Shunaji.
lyrics
Da bee da bee da bee ooo-oh
It goes da bee da bee da be da oh
Walking in a maze and I don’t know what I will find (find, find)
(You know you're always on my mind, yeah?)
Walking in a maze and I don’t know what I will find (find, find)
You know you're always on my mind (always on my mind)
Walking in circles like I’m looking at a photo you ain’t in
You’re always on my mind but I don’t know where to begin
My brain is freezing, they say we all need something to believe
And that’s the reason I keep breathing in, I need another fix
Worst case scenario, I’ll be using my best tricks
My quinceañera pearls and all my dolls with sticky pins
Cause once upon a time I been a queen without a prince
The devil was a price tag I’ve been breaking ever since
And I’ve been living on a spaceship; did you know that I exist?
Computers don’t connect to me, I hope that I’m not missed
Sincerely to the man I left there laying in a ditch
I swear I’m not a ___ but guaranteed I am that b*tch
The drama’s been dismissed - I’m approaching Mercury’s
My favourite planet, but damn sometimes I’m easily distracted
The rhymes I always smash ‘em, turn B sides into classics
I’ll take you to the stars like it’s your first time dropping acid
That’s a promise...
Walking in a maze and I don’t know what I will find
See you all around me, you’re always on my mind
Walking in a maze and I don’t know what I will find
I see you all around me, you’re always on my mind yeah
You know you’re always on my mind, yeah...
You were on my mind
I ran into you hun for the second time
Never been aligned till the sunset finds,
Uncovers all the lies while our souls on fire
Our minds go higher, yeah
Everything bless, less stress
Never been blessed like this
I was on Mars - this ship
Never been far - like Wiz
I was on deck - why him?
Now I’m out here fighting
Never been blessed like this
Everything bless (everything is everything)
You’ve been on my mind
Now I fell in love for the second time
But something feels deeper
When I wrote the line,
Expressed my kindness,
She was so fine, it was like a mine
With the…
Walking in a maze and I don’t know what I will find
See you all around me, you’re always on my mind
Walking in a maze and I don’t know what I will find
I see you all around me, you’re always on my mind yeah
You know you’re always on my mind, yeah...
credits
released June 26, 2020
Aerophone - Allexa Nava (@omallexa)
Drums - Shakira Malkani (@shakira_mango)
Drum programming - Shunaji (@iamshunaji)
Rap verse II - My Rugema (@myrugema)
Synth Bass - Shunaji (@iamshunaji)
Synthesizers - Shunaji (@iamshunaji)
Mixed by James Yarde
Mastered at Metropolis Studios
Zambian rapper and producer Abstract Sekai fuses golden era hip-hop with ambient sound design and a heady cosmic philosophy. Bandcamp New & Notable Jan 17, 2023
