Harmonize links up with Congolese-French singer Ya Levis on “I Do,” track six from his sixth studio album “31.”
This first-ever collaboration between the two artists is also one of the “31” album’s most sonically distinctive moments. Ya Levis brings Congolese Rumba, Zouk, and Soukous influences into a Bongo Flava framework – and the meeting of East African and Central African musical traditions gives “I Do” a texture that none of the other 13 tracks on the album carry. So it fills a genuinely unique space within the project rather than duplicating the energy of the Nigerian or Ghanaian collaborations elsewhere.
Ya Levis’s smooth and sensual vocal style sits naturally alongside Harmonize’s Bongo Flava delivery. Both artists operate in the melodic, romantic lane – so there is no stylistic tension pulling the record apart. Instead it builds a warm intimacy that serves the commitment-themed writing throughout. The title “I Do” points directly at that – love, devotion, and a readiness to fully commit to someone. Coming at track six, right after the solo “Huyu,” this record deepens the romantic thread running through the album’s first half before “Siwezi” breaks it at track seven.
The collaboration also extends Harmonize’s reach into French-speaking African markets that Bongo Flava rarely penetrates directly. Ya Levis has built a substantial audience across Congo, France, and the global Francophone African diaspora. So “I Do” is both a great song and a strategically important moment on the “31” album.
Stream “I Do” and tell us if Ya Levis and Harmonize made the most unexpected yet satisfying pairing on the whole album!
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