{"product_id":"j-p-bimeni-the-black-belts-free-me","title":"J.P. Bimeni \u0026 the Black Belts - Free Me","description":"2018 release. A royal refugee turned soul survivor. On his debut album Free Me, Burundian-born JP Bimeni astonishes with a voice that recalls Otis Redding in his prime whilst resonating with the soul of Africa. A refugee who's been living in London since the early 2000s, Bimeni sings songs of love and loss, hope and fear, with a conviction that comes from the extraordinary experiences life has thrown at him. A descendant of the Burundian royal family, Bimeni fled Burundi aged 15 during the 1993 civil war. Following three attempts on his life - at school he watched as his schoolmates were murdered, he was then chased by motorcycle militia-men and finally poisoned by doctors in hospital - he was given refugee status and fled to the UK where he's remained ever since. Music has provided the solace that Bimeni has needed to move forward with his life: \"If I didn't have music I don´t know how I would have survived everything\", he says. With it's classic 60s-sounding Motown and Staxinspired grooves the album was written by musical director Eduardo Marti´nez and songwriter Marc Ibarz and Bimeni imbues these tales of love and loss with his tragic experiences making 'Free Me' a deep soul soundtrack to his pained life: \"When I sing I feel like I'm cleansing myself: music is a way for me to forget\"","brand":"Alliance Entertainment","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50773615608103,"sku":"8435383647429","price":13.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0849\/6342\/6599\/files\/3822262.jpg?v=1764635288","url":"https:\/\/shop.xxlmag.com\/products\/j-p-bimeni-the-black-belts-free-me","provider":"XXL Shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}