Chuma Mgcoyi is a talented permaculture specialist and singer living in Cape Town, South Africa. She sings in her mother tongue, Xhosa, as well as English. Her gentle voice soars with emotion and her kindness touches every heart in the room!
Month: April 2020
Haikuu – Conservation Music
Born in Sabie, Mpumalanga (South Africa) and based in Pretoria, Haikuu is an Indie Rap Fusion artist who draws inspiration from hip hop and guitar music. At the core of his music is the idea of storytelling, which allows his raps to co-exists synergistically with his chosen guitar soundscapes.
As an individual who had to recover from a chronic, metabolic illness, he has determined to create music that is meaningful and impactful, while also being fun and engaging. He plays multiple instruments including rhythm and lead guitar, piano, bass guitar and drums.
In 2019, Haikuu formed a five-piece band called Haikuu & The 575s. They have performed at multiple venues across South Africa and have undertaken two national tours as well.
Janta – Conservation Music
Sukulani Mwachumu AKA Janta Jacxy on the beat who is also the producer focuses in uplifting Malawian urban music.
Founded in 2006 with an aim of helping upcoming artists, SU Records derives from Sungununu, a crew that works with Janta in music production.
In the meantime, a few other studios including the renowned SU Records encompass various kinds of music genres. But as the age of specialization dawned, many studios limited their scope. SU Records, on the other hand, still provides music in dancehall, Hip-Hop, R&B and any type of music genre.
The founder of the studio, Janta is an artist who has a positive attitude towards the talent that young people have. Janta was born in October 1989.
Kim of Diamonds – Conservation Music
Kim is a young talented Singer/Songwriter from Malawi who, through her music seeks to influence change – positive change – in advocacy and right living.
KIM developed her love for singing and songwriting around the age of 10. She started learning how to play a guitar around 16 from her father who is an exceptional guitarist.
Her influences and inspiration include musical greats like Lauryn Hill, Jill Scott, Robert “Bob” Nesta Marley, India Arie, literary icon Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and her very own father.
She is set to release her debut album titled “Freedom” soon. She worked with renowned artists & producer, Lawi and her brother, Manyanda in the composing and production of the 17- track album. The album recorded at Lawi Music Garage features one of the gospel hip-hop artists KBG and will be released under the new music label Brand Inc.
Kim plans on sharing her music journey and songs with the whole world. She is now in her 3rd year in University studying a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.
Pitso Rah Makhula – Conservation Music
Pitso Rah Makhula is a talented conscious rapper, poet, and lyricist from Maseru, Lesotho. A proper mountain rastafarian, his heart is as big as his creative spirit. We had the pleasure of featuring Pitso in our first production ever… “Ngope la Musi,” regarding the late Fanwell Musi who dammed the erosion that plagued his family’s land.
Theresa Ng’ambi – Conservation Music
Theresa Ng’ambi is a talented Zambian folk singer. While her peers were playing hip-hop and nu-soul, Theresa Ng’ambi explored a more traditional Zambian sound.
Theresa is a storyteller and a poet. She draws on the traditional musical styles of her grandfather’s era and the thumb piano to make her childhood dream a reality. Her guitar supports the real instrument that is her melodic voice which transports and transfixes her audiences back to a time in Zambian history. Theresa’s music is cross generational and has a broad appeal; she is a tourist attraction and the real “soul” of Zambian folk. Her album titled “Mandu” was released in 2016.
Tigris – Conservation Music
Born Angela Tigris Mizinga on 14 May 1988 to Mr and Mrs T.J. Mizinga as their last born of 10 children and from Ntcheu District Malawi, Tigris is not a signed artist yet but already has a wide range fan base across Africa and beyond, thanks to the performance she had this year at the Big Brother Amplified Eviction show on the 12th June 2011 which gave her total exposure to millions of viewers the 3 minutes she was on stage. She is the one ‘active’ female artist of the country with good music of international standard and exceptional live performances. Her dancers are The Elements Dance Crew who are the current best dance crew in Malawi according to the ‘U Got Dance Moves’ competition by Plusten Links. Her music combines hip-hop and traditional elements. Her debut single was “Gimme a Break”, the title track of the album. She has begun touring the country and hosting local concerts. Her debut album was released in February 2010 and featured collaborations with popular Malawi rappers and singers, Theo Thomson, Tay Grin and Young Kay. Tigris was also a nominee for the Malawi Music Awards for Best Female Artist and Best Afro-Pop Artist of 2010-2011.
HT Tautona – Conservation Music
HT-Tautona is a Motswana, born and raised in Maun. “I am doing hip hop music in my vernacular language, Setswana. All my songs are written in rich, pure and poetic Setswana. I took this initiative to do my music in my language because I master it and most people in Botswana understand. I incorporated hip hop beats with my lyrics written in Setswana, touching all aspects of life, from the social ills, culture and all other topics relevant to our day to day life. My songs carry valuable messages for the young, old, rich and poor, so everyone in every class could relate to the music.”
James Sakala – Conservation Music
“Music. It is the voice for my thoughts, experiences and faith in God. It speaks of my life. Not only through the lyrics I write or the melodies I sing, but also through the instruments that play. It is the most natural way for me to share who I am.”
“Natural” most definitely describes the musical talent of James Sakala. His melodic vocals and clean harmonies seem to flow so easily with the dynamic percussion and guitar sounds in his songs. One can only wonder where such a talent came from.
As a young boy in Mkushi, he grew up expressing himself through music and drama. “At a very young age, I started feeling music in me, and I became more convinced of my passion for it when I learnt to sing “Namusonda” by P.K. Chishala.” Soon after, he set out to hone his craft.
Over the years, James Sakala has nurtured his skills by working as a producer, session guitarist, and singer/songwriter at local recording studios in and around Lusaka. Now, he is focusing on recording his debut Afro-Jazz/Kalindula album.
Bringing a refreshing sound to Afro-Jazz by fusing it with the liveliness of Kalindula, James Sakala hopes to touch millions through his faith-driven music and “preserve a sound that has died here [in Zambia].”
Joka Katele – Conservation Music
Livingstone, Zambia
Joka is a compassionate and generous soul, and a proud resident of Livingstone’s ghettos. He built his own studio by hand over the course of three years, which he allowed us to use. He sat in with us and dropped a few lines in his distinctive gravelly voice, and told us stories of his troubled past and the hope he found in helping other people beat addiction and avoid hard drugs. A truly inspirational character.