28. Burundi — ‘Romantic Sounds’ by Sat-B

The small country of Burundi does not rank well in several statistics. It is considered the world’s least happy country, the poorest, and the least developed. Mostly rural, and only 13% of the population lives in urban areas.

Anyway, you wouldn’t guess any of that if you listened to Star-B’s EP. In this polished album, the singer sings and raps in different languages about love and relationships. Think afro-beat meets The Weeknd; this sounds sophisticated and well-thought. ‘I am from Burundi’, he sings in one of the tracks, using them almost as a pick-up line. It is good to have a singer from there feel proud about his origins and to produce such a professional-sounding album is quite a feat regardless of where you are.

Will I remember any of the tracks a year from now? I doubt it. But it’s fine, the sound is warm and breezy, and you can just imagine listening to this on a Burundian beach — shame it is a landlocked country. Anyway. Well done Sat-B.