The Sunday News
Pabalelo Tlou Sunday Leisure Reporter
THE partnership between a local pub and restaurant and local hip-hop artistes is yielding positive results as it has drawn the attention of a number of female artistes in the last three weeks it has been on.
The event has managed to draw the attention of many upcoming artistes and one that comes into mind is Awakhiwe Sibanda, who hogged the limelight at last week’s episode.
Sibanda, popularly known by her stage name — African Woman Arise (AWA) had the crowd spell-bound with a spectacular performance.
Dressed in traditional attire, Sibanda quickly became the crowd’s favourite.
In an interview, Sibanda said she started her music career in 2012, after releasing her first single, Wangishiya Lengane, which was also featured on South Africa’s Hype magazine.
Sibanda, a second-year Human Resources student at Lupane State University, told Sunday Leisure that she had performed at a number of events and expressed hope that she would continue to gain recognition through her style.
“I have performed Ngoneni Na at high profile shows such as Intwasa, Bulawayo’s Most Amazing Talents and Dreams to Fame at Amakhosi. Wangishiya Lengane has since become my signature song, as it has managed to inspire me to be a different type of artiste in the hip hop genre,” she said.
Sibanda said her music was inspired by real life events.
“I am inspired by the things I see happening in the households, the abuses a girl child faces, resulting in them being involved in dangerous acts like prostitution, my music therefore is inspired by real life events I see each and every day,” she said.
She said she was working on her first debut album, which would be released in December.
“I am currently working on my first album, FEMINISM. It will have 12 tracks, which are a compilation of story telling songs about issues affecting women in communities. The songs will talk about issues such as teenage pregnancy, gender based violence, prostitution, abortion, child abuse, HIV and Aids,” concluded Sibanda.
