Local singing sensation Oshri makes his highly-anticipated comeback this week as he drops his brand-new single ‘Familiar Enemy’. The song serves as a follow-up single to his latest hit ‘Focused’ – a collaboration with Kash.
The singer was inspired to write the song towards the end of some tough times, which he recalls, saying “I felt lost and as if I was not progressing anywhere. I compared myself, and didn’t feel like I was living up to my expectations. There were points where all I wanted to do was quit, escape to an island.” Oshri was sitting in a writing session one day and before he started the session with two talented artists, Ian Gott and Holden Jaffe aka Del Water Gap, they first wanted to see how everyone felt that day. “When I brought up the topic of how I was feeling and what I was going through, they all could relate. So, we started writing about it. The idea was ‘It’s a draining feeling, let’s drain it into a song and out of our systems, and add a feel-good melody’.”
This is the first song where Oshri is sharing a negative process of his: a side of himself that he didn’t like but he had to learn to accept. The single was recorded in January with producer Cameron Stymeist in Hollywood, Los Angeles.
Oshri has a special love for South Africa and calls Cape Town home. The music video was shot during one of his trips to the Mother City and he teamed up with the brilliant SA Fashion Photographer, Ebrahim Hajee to create the music video for ‘Familiar Enemy’.
“I Immediately fell in love with his style and esthetic,” Oshri tells us. “I didn’t have a specific idea in mind but I knew I wanted to collab with him. I’m usually a planner, I need the plan to feel safe in general in my life, especially with my art, but this time I decided not to have a proper script. I’d only have a rough idea, create a unique outfit (put together with the big help of the dopest stylist in town, Luise Steytler), a camera, and we’d see what happens. The vibe we wanted to create was of a person who’s escaping, cleansing, and finding freedom. It was so much fun to make and I love how Ebrahim tied it all together into one story”
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