Samilo Features Russian in ‘Ndikupita’
A Malawian afro musician and poet, Mashallo Stewart Samilo has urged artists in the country to embrace digital era in marketing the music on legal platforms.
Samilo has told Zodiak Online on Tuesday that this can help to build the music industry and attract economic gains for the country.
The artist who has collaborated with a Russian artist Carina La Dulce in his October single release "Ndikupita," further urges the local artists to work with international artists so that they are exposed to techniques of modern music without compromising quality.
"When we work with a foreign artists, we are able to share our cultural values to the global village hence boosting our tourism sector and increase the capacity of exporting our music as a commodity," Samilo said.
The poetic "Ndikupita" song is a crossover genre which has Malawian culture and electronic elements; appealing to people who are migrating from their homes to search green pastures and peace.
A 32-year old Samilo started writing his own lyrics at the age of 12 and he first recorded his first single at the age of 16 titled "Street Urchins".
His first album was released in 2012 titled "Clueless" and it was reworked in 2014 with additional tracks such as "No Nah Trepidation".
In 2018, he released his sophomore album called "Welcome to Malawi" under French record label, Re reve Africain and appeared digitally on December 7, 2018 with "Smash" hits like Chete-chete and Dzuwa lawala pa phiri Zomba.
The artist believes in timeless music which is relevant to the society enriching the youth minds with the traditional values of his country, hence connecting the cultural identity to the contemporary world by building music on cross pollination of Malawian traditional dances.
He regards himself as a custodian of Malawian music and literature hence his duty to contribute and document his traditional genre which embrace cultural values and morality.
He has released his third album titled "Mlimi wa tsabola" which he collaborated with a Russian artist and he got his two tracks mixed and mastered in the USA.
In the poetry cycle, his pieces have been previously published in his homeland by Malawi Writers Union, Sourveinr, UNICEF and in other five countries-Roots and Routes from Netherlands, Urban Woorden from Belgium, Youth Speaks from USA, Brouhaha International from UK and Word & Sound from South Africa.
In 2019, he published and launched his first poetry anthology titled Wokoma Nyasa.
He has also published his second poetry anthology with Dr. Benedicto Wokomaatani Malunga, an anthology titled "The rising voices".