We need more work to conquer the international market—Njobvu

Musician Davis Njobvu of the Edgar ndi Davis Band has said the musical group had an impressive outing in South Africa recently alongside legendary musician Giddes Chalamanda.

Njobvu said this on Wednesday following their fruitful trip in the Rainbow Nation.

Njobvu and the team performed in venues which are dominated by Malawians in South Africa.

 “It was a good outing in South Africa, we enjoyed all the support and it was also good for people to enjoy the vibes of Giddes Chalamanda. Most of the venues we performed at are, to some extent are dominated by Malawians but this is because of the way the promotions are done,” the singer and guitarist said.

Meanwhile, some quarters have come out to advise artists in the country that they should be holding gigs outside the country which do not only target Malawians but all people.

 “Most of the times, when they advertise these shows, they target Malawians because they are assured that they will come to the gigs but also are familiar with the artists. I think this is where we need to change, we have to start thinking deeper to conquer the international market and appeal to all,” Njobvu said.

Njobvu said the performances they hold outside targeting only Malawians is a clear indication that they have failed to break the international barriers.

“You look even at popular channels such as Channel O, our music does not feature frequently and this is what we need to change. We need to have our music on these channels so that we go out and perform, people from South Africa as well as other countries are aware and can come out and watch,” he said.

Njobvu said the industry needs to follow the routes that musicians such as Tay Grin have created.

“We need to work very hard to have our music there and in that way we will appeal to other people otherwise at the moment we still continue to play for local audiences,” he said.

Several artists in the country have been holding performances in South Africa targeting the same venues which are dominated by Malawians.

Local acts are yet to embrace top festivals such as Cape Town Jazz Festival which are embraced by people from different countries.