Mjura’s spirit lives on

Music has been an intrinsic part of his entire life. His family is deep-rooted in music.

It is safe to say the minute the velvet voiced artist picked up a microphone, a star was born.

Very few have had the privilege of seeing him perform live but anyone who has heard him sing or play instruments has become part of the growing buzz that surrounds Sam Mjura Mkandawire.

It, therefore, did not come as a surprise for such people when he was crowned the winner of the inaugural Airtel Trace Music Stars national finals in Blantyre.

Samuel first fell in love with music at a very young age. The love grew when he was introduced to the art of vocals, instrumentation and performance in 2001 through a family choir.

“I started playing drums first when I was 9 or 10 at Assemblies of God Church in Area 14, Lilongwe. With the help of Pastor Nick Chakwera, I learnt how to play the bass guitar, then the keyboard. But before that, I used to sing with my family at church as a choir.

“By the time I was 12, I was the youngest member of the church praise team. I then later went to Nairobi, Kenya where my father was working and while there, I picked up playing acoustic guitar which he had at home,” says the gangly and bubbly man.

Coupled with musical reading and writing studies at the Music Crossroads Malawi where he obtained a certificate, Sam has, over the years, mastered the art of doing vocals and playing drums and bass guitar but the piano and keyboard are his instruments of choice.

“I’m mostly playing keyboards and the piano because it’s easy to do that while singing. When in the studio, I play all instruments because, as a session artist, I have to play what artists want at that particular time,” said Mkandawire, who plans to upgrade his studies.

Sam works as a producer at Nyanja Studios as well as a sound engineer during outdoor events. He also teaches people musical instruments.

That aside, he plays with Mafilika as his main band plus a couple of others including Malingaka.

He explained: “Mafilika plays afro rock and some reggae. But as a musician I keep working, so there are also other avenues where people can find me. As such, I am also part of Malingaka, a jazz and blues outfit based in Lilongwe as well. Here I play drums and bass guitar sometimes.”

But what motivated him to join Airtel Trace Music Stars?

“I was one of those people who, when the competition just rolled out, did not see a future in the whole set up of the contest. It was open to anyone as long as one had credit in the phone and is on Airtel network. In fact, I heard about it from a friend days after the launch in October.

“But I recorded my demo in December after another friend reminded me about the competition. When I checked and listened to some of the recordings, I realised some people were just having fun or were playing with the whole system. I did a bit of research on the internet where after seeing the money involved, the record deal plus mentorship with Akon for the winner, these showed how serious the whole competition was. I was motivated and gave it a try,” explained Sam.

Since then, the artist knew he was on the way to winning the competition.

“I saw myself as a winner even before the top five was announced. I did a lot of homework in terms of what the judges wanted and listened to a lot of entries. Again, I was certain on the number of votes because I have friends and people who know what I do and obviously were to vote for me,” he said.

So when the top five was announced, Sam was not surprised and was not even bothered with those in the finals because nobody posed a challenge to his winning.

He unpacks it: “Musically and artistically, there was no one that I feared. I have been an artist for some time and therefore, I had an advantage over the rest of the finalist. But because it was votes based, Sipe obviously had an extra advantage because she already has a fan base from her Big Brother Africa exploits.

“So I intensified my own campaign on social media such as Facebook, I made promotional videos and everything just to make sure that I lure many people to vote for me. During the show, I just capitalised on the advantage I had which was showing the judges and the audience the artist in me. And there I was, declared a winner.”

Out of a score of 30, the three judges gave Sam 28.75, beating the other finalists to come out tops.

He will spend his prize money on personal investment and the church.

“First of all, K1.4 million is tithe, even my church knows I will do this. Secondly, my church, ICA Assemblies of God in Area 14, has a building project and I will put a substantial amount towards that. I believe I was not just given the money just for me.

“The rest I plan to invest in my album which is already on the market but it has not been launched yet. I will also spend some on my music label, Sound Mind. Through this label, I want to create an alternative gospel music, different from what Malawians have been doing or people have grown up to believe,” he mused.

With his bank account fat from the prize money and his financial status changing to an instant millionaire, Sam is now focusing on the continental finals scheduled for March 28 in Nairobi, Kenya.

He will face Airtel Trace Music Stars from 12 other countries to battle it out for the accolade of the next ‘Big African Star.’

“All I am doing is preparing to come out tops and I am certain of a win. I will represent Malawi to the best of my capability. I will work hard and keep myself in shape. Another victory is around the corner,” he said with a toothy smile.

Sam highlighted how he is not afraid of anybody in pursuit for a whopping US$50 000 alongside a recording deal with Kon Live, a label distributed through Universal Music Group as well as an intense mentorship programme with Akon in US.

“I am yet to watch winners from other countries as their finals were held on the same day with Malawi but Kenya was the first to hold its finals so at least I have watched the guy who won. Well, he is OK; I have no fear of him or any of the winners,” said the soft spoken artist.

The victory would not have come at the right time for Sam as it is an early birthday gift.

“I got an early birthday gift, yes, two weeks early. I am turning 28, on March 4. I received K14 million in a day and if you do your maths, I got K1 million for every two years of my life,” he said, as he grinned from ear to ear.

Sam’s late grandfather, Dr. Mjura Mkandawire, is renowned for composing the popular song ‘Kunali John Chilembwe’ which is one of the main songs Malawians remember its fallen heroes by.

He died last year. But much as Mjura is no more, his spirit still lives on and his musical journey is still intact and evergreen. The spirit still lives on in his grandson, who also inherited his name.