A writer and politician Pemphero Mphande has apologized to musicians in the country over the remarks he made that in as far as he knows, Keturah, his former artist is the only one with quality and authenticity to go international.
Mphande said the remarks on Monday after he announced that he has stepped down as the singer’s manager to focus on his personal work and different brands is currently working for.
The remarks by Mphande did not please a lot as they came after him to explain the authenticity he was referring to, hence his apologies.
“My apologies to all the artists my statement may have offended that I felt in my opinion Keturah was and is the only artist with the quality and authenticity to go international,” said Mphande.
According to Mphande what he said was his honest opinion and was not meant to create feud or demean other artists adding he is friend with a lot of local artists and he always give them his honest opinion on their music.
“My opinion could be proven wrong if we see another artist from the current crop of artists go far and that’s okay. I will happy to be proven wrong because I want success for my people,” he said.
Despite offering his apology, Mphande maintained his stand that presently Malawi does not have an international artist even though they are trying to get recognized on the international stage.
“The likes of Evison Matafale, Bright Nkhata and Kalimba Band had the content and authenticity to go that far. Sadly, for Matafale his time ended too soon.
“I haven’t seen anyone come close to his kind. Most of our musicians aren’t authentic. Most want to sound like their Jamaican, American or South African idols. This is another food for thought. Where is the authenticity in our voices, productions and content?” asked Mphande.
However, he was quick to point out Patience Namadingo that he is the only artist he has seen pulling a public show in another country saying that he is on the right path adding that he wishes him well to go beyond Malawi and Zambia because he has the potential.
“The rest of the artists when they go outside Malawi, they perform for Malawians in those countries in people’s houses or closed spaces and what it means is they don’t have fans in those countries,” he said.
He added; “This year we have seen so many international artists perform in Malawi. People heavily patronized those shows and these artists walked out of our country with millions. These artists toured Africa and sold out.”
He continued; “There is hardly an artist in Malawi who can tour Africa and sell out. Perhaps, our musicians need to sit down and reflect. Why aren’t they selling out there? There is room to improve and grow. I love this country and I want everyone to succeed. I harbor no hatred for anyone and I hope musicians that read my statement looked at what I wrote as a concern than demeaning them!”
