‘Happy Feelings feat. Omar & Ana Tijoux’ by bassist Stuart Zender
Lauded as one of the most influential bass players to have ever come out of the UK, Stuart Zender (SZ) is an eclectic musician whose style is best described as a blend of funk / hip-hop / jazz & latin influences. From being a member of Jamiroquai, to becoming the musical director of Mark Ronson’s band, to working with the likes of Amy Winehouse, Stevie Wonder, Lauryn Hill, Gorillaz, Don-E and D’Angelo, Zender’s career spans nearly 3 decades and countless hit songs.
“Happy Feelings feat. Omar & Ana Tijoux” is the first single taken from Zender’s upcoming solo project, and is a slice of uptempo and uplifting Brazilian-tinged soul-groove. The song began as a small section at the end of another track Zender and Omar-Lye Fook were working on together, and ended up becoming a completely new song.
What started with a Surdu drum, snares and shakers, progressively took shape to include more percussion, chords, a synth line, and a samba bass line. Soul man Omar’s distinctive voice and lyrics, coupled with Chilean-French rapper Ana Tijoux’s incisive poetry, complete this irresistibly catchy tune.
“Happy Feelings” was written in a dark time for us all, with so much uncertainty and fear. There are enough resources for the whole world to live happily, as “there’s enough to go around”, but unfortunately things are managed by a bunch of greedy, power-hungry control freaks throttling the world and using us all as chattel.
Stuart Zender is ready to spread a positive message through music, underlining how we all need each other’s support to weave a strong social fabric. It’s no coincidence that all profits from this song will be donated to help his mother’s ongoing care & well-being costs, because building a tight-knit community starts at home.
“Happy Feelings” out on EP / Digital on March 5th 2023 via UMI Music
