Una Rams celebrates love and culture with debut album 'Meet me at the Altar'

Grammy award-winning musician, songwriter and producer Una Rams is gearing up for the release of his debut album “Meet me at the altar”.

Set to drop on September 24, Heritage Day, a day that has become synonymous with weddings in South Africa.

The musician tells IOL that the messaging behind the songs and the album's theme, as well as the tracklist, are sort of a guide or a playlist to an actual wedding.

“You know, you have different moments in there that you can feel that, this song is for the step or, this song is for the bride to walk down the aisle to.”

“Meet me at the altar” was initially meant to have dropped last year, but “everything in God’s time,” and here he is now with arguably one of the best release dates for a project like this.

Real name, Unarine Rambani, this year got married to actress and personality Ntando Duma, now Rambani and they have welcomed their first child. The couple’s love story has had their fans captivated and believing that good old romance still exists. 

“Meet me at the altar” is a sonic love letter to his wife and heritage. The overarching theme for the album revolves around the concepts of love, unity, and celebration. In August, Una Rams released the second single, “Priceless Possession,” from the album.

Originally written over seven years ago, “priceless possession” has been carefully reimagined for this new chapter. The song was initially meant to be part of an EP called “Crush”.

Una Rams admits that he experienced mixed feelings when it came to revisiting his old music. 

“There's one element of surprise, how could a version of me that was so young know what to speak on and what to do with the reaction of speaking about marriage and love?” 

While he may be surprised, Una Rams reveals that he has always been a lover boy and always wanted to have a family of his own. Una Rams looks at this moment as a reflection on the power of manifestation.

“I had plans for that song in particular many years ago, but you know how they say, we plan and God laughs. For it to finally materialise and be something I'm able to share now while everything is happening has been a real blessing.”

Una Rams didn’t get into the studio, thinking he would be making an album, but rather worked on working off of serendipity. He credits his brother, manager and creative partner, Matt, for pushing him when needed.

The musician recalls how Matt pushed him to put the song “Say the Word” on the album but it was very challenging for him to write because it just felt like he didn't have the words. 

“But after some time and after the wedding, he had a bit more perspective and was able to then put the words that needed to say what he needed to say on that song. 

“It's made it onto the album and it's one of my favourites now. It shows that, sometimes, in that friction is where you find beauty.”

Una Rams describes the album as a “sonic museum”, his creative way to help preserve and touch on culture and tradition. Having noticed how with the times, there seems to be a fade in culture and tradition, but also it’s cool to reap where you're from.

“What I found is that these songs were able to capture beautiful elements of language and the poetry in there that not only allow us to wave the flag higher for where we're from, but also become touch points to teach people.

“Through my music, I'm then able to become a cultural teacher in a sense.”

Working on the music has been therapeutic for Una Rams, as a lot of things were changing, a lot of things were happening, and music has always been sort of a baseline for him. Being vulnerable when it comes to music is something Una Rams has not struggled with.

“Music has been my mode of expression and I feel that for a lot of people who struggle to express themselves, they're able to listen and find stories that they can relate to. It's almost as if you become a mouthpiece for those who are voiceless.”

Una Rams makes music from his experiences as a black man in South Africa; his art expresses his reality, and he views himself as an experimental artist. “I haven't allowed myself to be boxed into a specific genre, which is why, you know, you can hear me on the house track with Black Coffee. 

“You can hear me on this new album that I believe would be more Afro-pop leaning, but there is a lot of fusion in it. That's because I'm very eclectic in my taste as well. I believe music is music and if it's beautiful, then I like it and I think that translates even when I create music.”

"Meet me at the altar" will be available on all digital platforms on September 24, 2025.

 IOL Entertainment