SPECIAL THANKS LISTEN UP - OPENING IMAGE ACCRA, GHANA
Five-time Grammy winner PJ Morton, known for his talents as a writer, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and Maroon 5's keyboardist, has released a new album titled Cape Town to Cairo. This project was conceived during a 30-day journey across Africa, where Morton arrived with no prepared music, lyrics, or preconceived ideas - just a bold ambition to create an entire record within a month. His mission was to deeply engage with the continent’s diverse cultures, stories, and communities.
From Cape Town and Johannesburg to Lagos, Accra, Cairo, and back to South Africa, Morton's journey is reflected in the album's rich blend of influences. The project features collaborations with artists like Fireboy DML, Mádé Kuti, Asa, Ndabo Zulu, and the Soweto Spiritual Singers, alongside producers such as P.Priime and The Cavemen.
The album itself invites listeners on a sonic adventure, where the vibrant diversity of his travels bleed through in every track. In an exclusive with F Word, PJ Morton reveals his visual diary from this transformative journey, offering a glimpse into the creative process that brought the album to life. We also had the opportunity to ask PJ some questions along the way to dig deeper into the making of this project, packed full of flavour and soul.
F Word: If you had to assign a temperature, a colour and a taste to this album, what would they be?
PJ Morton: The temperature I would have to say is hot, let's say 98°F! The colour would be Red, because there's Red in most of the flags throughout Africa, or at least the regions that I visited making the album. And the taste would have to be savoury, because it's a soulful album, so in food terms it's like soul food.
Accra, Ghana
F Word: What was the biggest change you made to the album during the writing process?
PJM: Well, there wasn't a lot of room for change. We only had 30 days so I really had to trust my instincts and go with the flow. The most challenging part of the album was trying to sequence it and put all of these different songs together to make something cohesive. So I would say if anything was the biggest change, it was the order of songs, you know, the sequence of songs on the album.
Accra, Ghana
F Word: And what are you hoping people will take from the album?
PJM: I want people feel the exchange of musical flavours and roots on the album. It's more than just me, borrowing from Africa - it's also me bringing in my New Orleans influence and bringing in my own flavours to mix, to make something fresh and new. No different than Fela Kuti did back in the day, mixing Ghanian Highlife with with Jazz and American Funk, Soul and Motown. I think it's such a beautiful exchange and it brings us together.
Cairo, Egypt
F Word: What genre could you see yourself experimenting with for a future project?
PJM: It's been in the air recently but I could definitely see myself messing with a country album at some point. I've always loved country songs and I've always loved that the writing was so important in country music and I love to focus on songwriting, so I could definitely see a country thing happening.
Cape Town, South Africa
F Word: If you had to choose one component for a great album. What would it be?
PJM: One component I'd say authenticity, I think that's the most important thing, especially today where there's so much music. The only thing that can kinda separate you from the crowd is being authentic.
Johannesburg, South Africa
F Word: What's motivating you the most lately?
PJM: I would say just life, family and friends. Ultimately I've accomplished a lot in my career and now I feel that the more you accomplish, the more you see what's truly important. And that usually comes down to family and friends. I have lifelong friends in my band, and it's been hugely inspiring and motivating for me to travel around with them, allowing us to to grow and experience such amazing places and people.
Lagos, Nigeria
F Word: What advice do you have for yourself for tomorrow?
PJM: I would say more of the same, which is, be like water. We obviously don't know what tomorrow holds so we can only live in the present. So if it's for tomorrow, I would just say, trust the process - the same way I did making this album. I didn't know what song was going to come next. I didn't know what was going to happen. I just had to trust my instincts and trust my gut. So that's what I tell myself for tomorrow.
Lagos, Nigeria
F Word: The world would be better without...
PJM: ...Hate
F Word: The world would be worse without...
PJM: ... Music
