Few artists embody spiritual depth and sonic experimentation quite like Una Rams. Known for his heartfelt fusion of R&B, Afro-fusion, and electronic influences, the Limpopo-born artist continues to push creative boundaries while staying rooted in love, faith, and self-discovery. With his latest offering, Meet Me at the Altar, Una invites listeners into a sacred space—a musical journey that feels both intimate and transcendent. We caught up with him to unpack the meaning behind the album’s title, the evolution of his sound, and how his personal growth continues to shape his artistry.
meet me at the altar feels like a very intentional title. What does the altar represent in the context of this album?
I spent quite a bit of time working on a bunch of songs but they didn’t have a home. The majority of the time I was working on the album, I didn’t know I was working on the album. One day, in the process of recording, I felt like it was time to make this a full album.
An album feels like a big boy step you know? It’s a step you take when you are ready to fully commit. I have always been one to have my hand in a number of projects, but that means things rarely get finished. I was always excited by the prospect of starting something new but I never had enough drive to see something through. Now, my artistic choices were matching my the decisions I was making in my life. I was taking a big step in committing to personal love and that is the level of commitment I required to finish this album. For the first time in a while, I didn’t have to reflect on a past, nor did I have to speak to a future. I could literally tell my story in real time. That was a lot more special, and since I have one of the greatest muses, I thought why not dedicate this to her and our love.
When you reached the point where you knew you were working on an album, did it affect the way you created?
I think it was late 2023 when we started to look at dropping another project. At the time, it had a codename – the wedding pack. But, that didn’t have a good ring to it because it was a generic name.
I prayed for inspiration for the title of the album and yes, there was very much a mental shift when we decided that this is not an EP but rather an album. I’ve always been one to treat all of my projects like albums but this time around, I think everything else that came before felt like practice for this moment. The same way dating feels like practice for marriage. I found myself locking in a lot. Even though there was this mental shift, admittedly, there were times I didn’t want to go to studio because I was tired. Matt had to push me to finish the album and he was my coach through the whole process and I am very grateful for him and the rest of the community, including the producers and artists who helped bring this together. Even when working on songs that were a bit older, we managed to give them new life and the process began to become more exciting again.
Culture is such a huge part of marriage in South Africa. How did you incorporate your cultural roots into the album so seamlessly?
It’s been something that I have been increasingly doing in my art for a while now. One of the song that gained a lot of traction was ‘Chocolate Dreams’ where I rapped the second verse in Venda. That was inspired by the likes of Sho Madjozi, Mizo Phyll and Makhadzi. Looking at it now, we are living in a world that is getting more digitised and for a while, it felt like we were slowly losing our identity to a homogeneous internet culture. You would find kids from Venda, for instance, not even knowing how to speak the language. Seeing that became a bit concerning. I see music, and this album, as a sonic museum where we can preserve our traditions and culture within a palatable framework.
With the show Muvhango being the only lense or window for people to peer into Venda culture, I feel like we need to make that a lot bigger and wider. This allows for kids from the same hometown as me to see themselves in me. I want those kids from my hometown to know that their dreams are possible.
Which song on the album is your favourite and can you give me an anecdote around the creation of that song?
It’s funny cause I am going to contradict myself because I have been saying a different song in my interviews. Right now, I feel like ’i do’ with J’Something is doing that for me. The story behind it is super cool. We’re at the writing camp late last year and there was a rule that we cannot start new project. My brother and manager, Matt, knows I love to start a new song but the focus for the camp was to finish up existing records. When we were working on ‘hayani’, we were hitting a wall. Instead of sitting in frustration and wallowing about it, we broke the rules and started a new song. In about fifteen minutes, we had a new song. The song is something we shopped around a little bit and following my wife’s suggestion, we reached out to J’Something. As a fellow husband, it felt like the message got stronger. When I wrote that song, it was a couple of weeks out from the wedding itself. I could literally sit and close my eyes and imagine what the big day was going to look like. I feel like I managed to capture that meaning into song and I hope that translates to people who are lucky enough to go through that experience.
In the process of creating this album, would you say your perspective on storytelling has shifted?
As I continue to live and learn, my perspectives continues to shift. What’s been the theme in the house is seasons. A mango tree doesn’t bear fruit year round. Even in creation, there is a season for going to the studio and not having a big project in mind and you just create freely. There is also a season for carefully finishing and curating songs for a project. The mindset has changed in that regard. I find it fun to make something new but is also fulfilling to see that the ideas don’t just exist as ideas. Having the opportunity to release songs into the world gives meaning to the whole process.
Was the creative process for meet me at the altar different to the creative processes you had on previous projects?
For the first time in a while, I didn’t want to step out behind a character. There was a tweet I referenced last year where I was saying that this process isn’t a rollout, it’s my real life. There is less of a separation between the artist and the art. In this regard, I have been living life as art and each aspect is informing the other. That’s where I’d say the shift was.
On another note, we always looked to the west for what is cool. We haven’t been taking much regard for our own native sounds and languages. The more I grow up, the more I see that there is so much to be proud of. We have so much history and teachings within the African context. Seeing us rise and acquire culture capital as a country, it becomes very interesting to see how the world interfaces with that dynamic. We don’t just have to be consumers of culture but we can also export who we are.
As I was listening to the album, I remembered the only other artists that had a similar concept was Chance The Rapper. Were there any fears around how the album would be received?
I don’t spend too much time thinking about what’s going to happen because it takes away from the fun in the moment. I will be honest and say that when we were about to drop the visualiser for ‘priceless possession’, cause it was a real moment where I proposed to my wife, a part of me felt like the moment should be kept sacred. I remember contemplating if sharing this moment would be corny. I had my reservations about it but I spoke about that with my manager and my wife, and we all agreed that this was part of being my authentic self. The smile you see in that video is genuine because I was genuinely excited she said yes.
From a creative point of view, what does the next chapter look like for you?
The more I grow up, the more fearless and confident I am become. I guess it comes with being comfortable in your own skin. I’m saying all of that to say, I just want to have fun. Let’s make the music fun. We have a couple of ideas we want to dish out progressively. We worked too long and hard for it to be a one and done situation. We want to have experiences that take people on a journey. We want to make it feel like an actual wedding. I need people to experience this music live because that is when it really hits.
We have also a physical CD which is also interactive. On the inside of the CD, there are questions that you can ask your partner to connect on a deeper level. There is also a QR code that leads you to a website where there are more interactive elements.
For the album splits, I developed a whole app because the back and forth process with documents was complicated. I found a way to build a system that makes the process smoother. That is something that can be of service to artists and publishers. So, there is a lot that exists in this universe.
In closing, what is the one thing you would like for people to take away from meet me at the altar?
These songs are for you guys now, I have done my part. I want South Africans to see themselves in this love story. I want the album to feel like home when you press play. I want for it to be something that plays on the global stage and represents who we are as a people. It’s also just the message of holding onto your dreams and not letting go. There were many points in time where I felt that this was a bit too much but seeing through has been fulfilling.
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