Hail the queen Sangie’s passion lies in reggae

In the world of music, debate abounds on what makes conscious reggae rock. Is it the rhythm, the lyrics or the melodious voices in the song?

I still dated you when I knew ndiwe player, (I do it all for love)/I still go with you when I know you are cheating, (I do it all for love)/I do it all for love, (I do it all for love)/yes I do it all for love

Well, one may have heard the songwords before—probably from a romantic and creative loved one or even read them in comic books, movies or on the Internet.

But to hear them perfectly mingled in melody, well embedded in a reggae genre from an unknown local reggae artist is just phenomenal.

The lyrics form a chorus of I Do It All For Love, one of the three hits by Sangie, a new conscious reggae artist in town. And she is female!

Listening to her music, there is sagacity of originality and creativity, a touch of ownership, difference and uniqueness in a genre, dominated by men, across the globe.

“Conscious reggae makes me comfortable. A lot of people thought I should have been doing hip hop or R’n’B but I wanted to give people a different touch of music by showing my skills and uniqueness. Reggae music loves me, and I live it,” Sangie told Chill in an interview.

Born Angel Mbekeani, Sangie grew up in Ndirande, Blantyre. She launched herself onto the scene last year with the release of her video I Do It All For Love.

The video topped MBC TV’s Makwerero Top 10 for a month. It continues to enjoy airplay on various television stations.

Due to high demand from the public, the audio version was uploaded online on the last day of last year for free downloads.

I Do It All For Love was Sangie’s attempt on the Don Foxxy Riddim, which was initially produced in 2012 by Don Foxxy at Step Up Records, which featured other artists such as Nepman, Desert Eagle, Vigil and Saint.

“After my single, some people loved my voice, writing, musical content and that gave me courage to go on. That spurred me to live my dream. I wanted people to notice me fast and reggae was the only genre I could use to do that. You know there are a few reggae artists in Malawi, with very few women doing this type of music even around the world. I want to be among the few, but with so much impact,” explained the 20-year-old artist.

A year after topping the charts with her debut single, Sangie is back with more conscious reggae.

On Valentine’s Day, she released Busy, an audio and Ndangozizidwa, a video available on YouTube.

The singer brings a well-crafted vibrant track that will surely capture the hearts of her growing fan base yet again.

“Busy came in for girls while Ndangozizidwa is for the women folk who I represent. It’s a voice for my fellow women,” said the artist, who is not rushing into releasing an album.

“I don’t want to rush into releasing an album. Therefore, for now, this is out of question. I have not even sat down with my managers to discuss any possibilities of releasing an album.  I want to have it massive so people should expect more singles on the way,” se affirmed.

Sangie has developed into an exciting reggae musician, having started music while young. Initially, she did not take music seriously and, therefore, worked as a backing vocalist for other artists and the church choir.

But having been inspired by life itself, last year she thought of giving music the seriousness it deserves.

“My music is inspired by real life situations. I’m compelled to sit down and write from what I hear, see or read. I believe music should teach people something, the story line should explain things, there should be something a listener can benefit as well as good delivery.

“People should still play good music for over a period of time. And the only time music can play such a role in people’s lives, is when it revolves around a person in general and that is exactly what I am doing,” she stated.

She describes her journey, thus far, as a mixed bag.

Amid shots of laughter, she unpacked: “It hasn’t been easy being a woman, but it has been easy as a woman at the same time. It has not been easy because I was literally on my toes, trying to prove my worth to the million of Malawian music lovers. Many people wrote me off because of being a woman considering the kind of music I do. It has been easy as being a woman, with few secular artists around town and the kind of music I am doing made it easy somehow for some people to fall for me.”

Trumel and Provoi inspire her while outside Malawi, Alain and Queen Ifrika drive her on. With his motivation, her eyes are set to take her music far and beyond.

“Since I started music, response from people has always been encouraging. They call me the Queen of Reggae and I agree to that,” she chuckled.

She added: “A few years from now, I really see myself getting far and international. More people should be motivated with my music. I want to change the perception of people that if you do reggae music, then you are a Rasta or you smoke weed. But I am not a Rasta, neither do I smoke nor drink. This is just a career. Right now, people know me, I heard from a friend, that I have been nominated for some award. This is a step in the right direction.”

One year into her musical sojourn, Sangie has banked a nomination in the annual Malawi Music Awards (Muma), having been shortlisted for the Best New Artist category.

The second edition of the Muma Awards will be held at the Bingu International Conference Centre in Lilongwe tonight.