(footsteps tapping) (latches opening) (cover sliding) (light guitar music) - Hello, my name is Ben Mulwana, and this is "Embozi."

(light guitar music) (Ben humming) ♪ Embozi ♪ ♪ Embozi ♪ ♪ We haven't spoken in a while ♪ ♪ What does your heart say now ♪ ♪ What shape is it taking on ♪ ♪ What's changed since I've been gone ♪ ♪ Did we both get turned around ♪ ♪ Did we both get turned around ♪ ♪ Didn't you learn to keep them out ♪ ♪ Did the voices get too loud ♪ ♪ Did they swell and not come down ♪ ♪ Were you left for lost and found ♪ ♪ Are you any different now ♪ ♪ Are we any different now ♪ (humming) ♪ Keep your head ♪ ♪ And your heart sound ♪ ♪ Oh, walking in ♪ ♪ Is the only way out ♪ ♪ Embozi ♪ ♪ I've learned a thing or two ♪ ♪ In my time away from you ♪ ♪ There's no need to feel collide ♪ ♪ You know we're on your side ♪ ♪ Are we any different now ♪ ♪ Are you any different now ♪ ♪ Oh keep your head ♪ ♪ And your heart sound ♪ (Ben humming) ♪ Walking in ♪ ♪ Is the only way out ♪ ♪ Oh keep your head ♪ ♪ And your heart sound ♪ (Ben humming) ♪ Walking in ♪ ♪ Is the only way out ♪ ♪ Embozi ♪ ♪ Hope you learned a thing or two ♪ ♪ In my time away from you ♪ ♪ There's no need to feel collide ♪ ♪ You know we're on your side ♪ ♪ And we're not any different now ♪ ♪ You're not any different now ♪ ♪ Oh keep your head ♪ ♪ And your heart sound ♪ ♪ Oh walking in ♪ ♪ Is the only way out ♪ "Embozi" is one of my favorite songs.

It's a song for me that was gonna be the last, and I'd feel a little bit ashamed to even admit that, but it was, it came from a place of just losing balance, losing myself, and just unable to find my direction again.

And so I just figured, and this is all to do with music, I figured, you know what, let me write something and then write an album and then head right out.

I had some time to drive to Nashville to meet with my friends to co-write for a whole week.

And I'm glad that Nashville is so far away because I was able to sit in the car and, you know, turn down the noise, turn down the radio and just, you know, listen.

And finally I heard this voice again that has always kind of kept me on track, always kind of kept my course straight, and I just had not heard it for a really, really, really long time.

"Embozi" means talk or rumor in Uganda and felt for the longest time like all the voices that were saying things that were not true were so much louder than the voice that kept me going.

And I'm just really glad that it came back on that drive.

And that's what that song is about.

And that's what, those are the words that that voice said.

(guitar playing)