Singer, songwriter and environmental activist Razia spent her childhood in the vanilla-growing region of Madagascar’s northeast coast, surrounded by the infectious rhythms of local salegy music. Her life journey has taken her from Madagascar to Gabon, France, Indonesia and her current base of New York City, but Madagascar has always been her spiritual home and main source of inspiration. Today we are pleased to share with you her new video “Akory,” which showcases both Razia and Madagascar as beautiful gems in the world waiting to be discovered.

After years of living abroad, Razia returned to Madagascar in 2007 to discover her country’s landscape ravaged by illegal logging, slash-and-burn agriculture and the impact of climate change. That trip inspired the production of her first album, the critically-acclaimed Zebu Nation, which was released by Cumbancha Discovery in 2010. The songs on her new album, Akory, address Razia’s life experiences as well as Madagascar’s struggles to cope with an ever-deteriorating political situation, the destruction of the country’s bio-diverse forests and the daily challenges faced by its inhabitants.

Akory, which means “What Now?” in the Malagasy language, was produced on four continents over the last four years and sees Razia diving even more deeply into her Malagasy roots. Featuring a more stripped down approach than her debut album, Akory is full of upbeat songs with vibrant melodies and soulful collaborations with a number of Madagascar’s top musicians. Today we are proud to share with you the title track to the album, and the absolutely mesmerizing and captivating she has brought us to accompany the song.

It is only natural that Razia would use the “Akory” video to showcase the untouched nature and beautify of her homeland. Over the course of the video we are treated to dramatic scenes of the pristine land, the beautiful wildlife, both the gorgeous and unforgiving weather, and most importantly we are shown an inner glimpse of the people of Madagascar. Amongst these striking scenes is a story revolving around Razia and her family frighteningly huddled in a small hut trying to seek shelter from the impending storm. By morning the home is gone, but Razia and her family have survived by hiding under the bed, the only heavy object in the house. They escaped this time, but unless the world makes amends with their treatment of mother nature these powerful storms will only continue to grow and ravage nations like Madagascar. The message is powerful and the delivery is beautiful, and we’re happy to be a part of her cause!

Razia is an artist with a big heart and a big cause, and we are incredibly pleased to be a part of her team. We are here to do anything we can to get this video into your programming, so please don’t hesitate to let us know! Please contact Andy Gesner and the HIP Video Promo staff at (732)-613-1779 or email us at info@HIPVideoPromo.com for more info on Razia.

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