Mustafa

Dunya, the title of Mustafa’s tender debut album, roughly translates from Arabic to “the world in all its flaws.” It’s an elevated topic for a young songwriter, but like every theme in the work of the Sudanese-Canadian artist – from religious devotion to childhood trauma, gang violence to romantic intimacy – he approaches it through a personal lens. He blends genres and moods, weaves details into memorable folk songs, and has created an album that feels like a series of personal breakthroughs following one after the other.