Faith Mussa relishes Norway visit
Gospel musician Faith Mussa has described his three-week tour of Norway as a success and worthwhile encounter.
He made the remarks after jetting back from the Nordic country.
During the tour, the Mdidihitmaker performed at Trondheim, Voss, FlorØ, Oslo and Antikvariata. He also hosted workshops for music students.
The artist took advantage of his visit in Oslo to record some songs for his upcoming album, he said.
“The response was very good. We performed for audiences which mostly comprised musicians and music students. It was amazing to see how they appreciated Malawian music sounds,” Mussa said.
He reckoned his performances and talk helped market Malawi’s cultural heritage.
“During the lectures, all the music I was using as examples was Malawian traditional music. Besides, my music blends traditional music and modern sounds. The workshops had Malawi written all over them. Our music is rich and unique. If we continue developing, it can become the next major export of Malawi,” he said.
The trip was facilitated by Kwayera Universe which fuses traditional beats with modern music.
The organisation was funded by the Norwegian Government.
Having returned from Norway, Mussa will spend the next two months exploring unique elements of cultural music from Ntchisi and Nkhata Bay.
“We want to find out how traditional instruments are made and what relevance they have in their cultural settings,” he explained.
Mussa said cultural music, including his songs, is attracting attention beyond the borders.
He advises musicians who aspire to export their offerings to Europe to search within their cultural heritage for inspiration.
saidMussa:“The world is not looking for another Beyonce or John Legend. They already have those people. If we are going to make an impact internationally, we should find a way to make Malawian sounds stand out in whatever music we are doing.
“If it’s hip hop, we should make sure that it carries something Malawian. That’s the only thing we can take as new to the world.”
