As you may already know, Colby and Awu were born thousands of miles apart, Colby in Phoenix, Arizona, and Awu in Bamenda, Cameroon. They are definitely a very unique duo. But how in the world did these guys end up making a musical album together? Some might call it fate, others may say it was simply lots of good luck. As for Colby and Awu, well, they like to think it was sort of ordained by a Higher Power.

It was the summer of 2012 and Colby had just arrived with his wife Mallory in Bamenda, Cameroon for a month of volunteerism with the environmentally-focused nonprofit organization “The Greens.” On their first day in Bamenda, The Greens hosted a community party to officially welcome Colby and Mallory. Colby met lots and lots of people during this welcome party, but there was one individual that really stood out above the rest… You guessed it – Awu! At one point in the early afternoon, there were a few young men who gathered together in the backyard, forming a small discussion. And there was Awu, standing out among them, holding his beloved guitar. Colby asked if he played the instrument, and Awu responded in the affirmative. Colby then asked Awu to play a song, and what happened next was the beginning of a magical journey…

Awu played a song called “Fire on the Mountain” by Nigerian artist Asa. Colby was immediately captivated by the beauty of Awu’s voice. “This guy has one of the best singing voices I have ever heard!” Colby thought to himself. But as Awu continued singing, Colby became even more enchanted, not just from the beauty of Awu’s voice, but because of the message in the lyrics – a message that spoke to Colby’s soul.

Right then and there, the wheels immediately began turning in Colby’s head. You see, about two years prior, he had written a couple of songs about improving the state of the world. He even had recorded them on his home computer and shared them with some friends. While Colby felt his raps and lyrical content were good, he quickly realized he lacked the singing voice for creating a catchy chorus, the musical talent for creating a professional beat, and the equipment for recording a quality sound. But that was all about to change…

For the rest of the month, Colby and Awu spent their evenings together, working to blend their talents to see what they could create. It was quite amazing to see how well they complemented each other. Colby has a way with words, and can craft a message that is both deep, clear, and also flows with a rhythm. Awu, on the other hand, has a special gift for creating beautiful musical arrangements, both vocally and with his guitar, and can truly cut to a person’s soul when he belts out his melodies. After a few days of brainstorming and jamming out, they completed a rough draft of “Change the World,” and began to share it with everyone. The feedback they received was extremely positive, and Colby and Awu now knew they had something special on their hands.

They worked hard for the rest of the month to get their first two songs produced. Battling untimely power-outages (which are common in Cameroon), several re-schedules with the recording studio, and busy schedules for all the parties involved, it actually took until Colby’s last day in Cameroon to get them complete – but they somehow found a way!

Colby flew back to Phoenix, and him and Awu then shared their songs with everyone who would listen. Again, they got nothing but overwhelmingly positive feedback. This response helped them to decide that, despite their continental distance apart, they would find a way (with the help of digital technology) to continue to collaborate, and put together a full album to share with the world.

A year and a half later, with countless crises and victories along the way, Colby and Awu had produced 6 more songs and decided to release them in their debut album. It’s been one heck of a journey! The inspiration they receive when they hear the comments and feedback from their fans has been one of the biggest reasons they’ve continued on their path, so as you read this, we offer you a giant THANK YOU!!!

If you want to get your hands on their debut album “Change the World” and hear the rest of their songs, click here! Thanks again for being a fan!