AIKA & NAHREEL AND AZAWI IMAGINE LOVE BEYOND TIME ON “FORTY”
Aika Marealle is a Tanzanian pop singer, rapper, and performer best known as the female co-founder and vocalist of the internationally acclaimed East African music powerhouse Navy Kenzo. Their new single “Forty” features Ugandan singer Azawi and explores the idea of a love that remains exciting and committed even as the years pass.
The song opens in Luganda with Azawi declaring, “gwe nfenkenya bwebwena,” expressing how easily her lover can drive her crazy. She follows with “tonekengera ate nonepena,” admitting that she cannot resist him and is completely drawn to his presence. Her promise to still be his “shawty” when he is forty gives the song its central message, imagining a relationship that never becomes boring and where the love continues to overflow.
Nahreel adds his own declaration, “we ni wangu mimi,” recognizing that she is his, while describing their relationship as “mapenzi ya milioni,” a love worth millions. Aika brings the song back to the intimacy between two people, asking her lover to tell her what he wants and promising to give him her love.
“Forty” celebrates the kind of relationship that grows without losing its excitement, looking beyond the present moment toward a future where the connection remains just as strong. The song speaks to anyone who has found a love they want to keep choosing, believing that real commitment can survive time and remain meaningful until the end.