Beyonce has done this before. So has Drake. And now local artist Hazel Mak, without any alert, has dropped an album titled Unorthodox.

In an interview, Hazel said she has dropped the album as a gift to her fans as a coping mechanism during the tough times of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.

“I thought it would be something nice to do for people that support me,” she said.

The award-winning artist said the only artist featured on the album is EXQ from Zimbabwe with whom she collaborated on the song Katakwe.

“Unorthodox is a compilation of all the genres I’ve dabbled in in the past. I always wanted to release R ‘n’ B music so this was a great opportunity. So, it’s mostly Afro-House, R ‘n’ B and Afro-pop,” she said.

The album was recorded in Malawi, Zimbabwe, South Africa and United Kingdom by various producers.

Some of the producers are Mapiri and Sonyezo from Malawi, Ayoba from the United Kingdom, GTBeats from Zimbabwe and Mr Kamera from South Africa.

Hazel said: “The unique thing about this album is that I was part of the creative process from composition to production and we achieved that.

“Music has the power of escapism as it lifts our spirits in difficult times.”

She said she acknowledges the ever-changing music industry and artists must adapt and evolve.

“As an artist, releasing the project now is my way of reaching out to people and waiting till the lockdown is lifted so I can record more music,” she added.

The artist has already released videos for Serenade, Katakwe, Dondada, and Murdah.

In an earlier interview, artist and songwriter Bucci, who wrote Katakwe, said he was honoured to have collaborated with Hazel Mak.

“It takes a creative mind to appreciate another. I am glad to have written the song that came out just fine with Hazel,” he said