Many times, sport has always found its way to tap into the arts sector with theme songs, including for the football World Cup.
Over a decade ago, Bubu Lazy dragged music into the game of football courtesy of his popular composition Goletsa Malawi, which is in some way a sample of South African kwaito outfit TKZee’s Shibobo, another football anthem.
In early 2000s, Lucius Banda was commissioned by BAT Malawi to compose a theme song for its football competition, Embassy Trophy. The outcome was the song Embassy, which became synonymous with the competition itself and featured prominently in entertainment halls.
Other artists who have taken the same route include Saul Chembezi, who did the famous Azisiya song and Mafo who also came on the scene with Bullets Yanga.
But the most recent case maybe among the most intriguing one as the magic of the song has attracted the art to sports.
Three weeks ago, National Bank of Malawi (NBM) plc announced the adoption of Jetu’s latest single Pangolin as the theme song for its inaugural Women’s Premiership.
Speaking during the event, Jetu said she was proud to have her song considered for the promotion of the women’s game.
“This is something that makes me proud. At the same time, it encourages me to keep fighting for the rights of women in the country,” she said then.
In Pangolin, Jetu departs from the amapiano genre that helped her to make a breakthrough. In her latest song, her efforts to lay out proper song lines the art demands are all there to see. The traditional manganje beat has made the song more relatable.
In just three days of its release, the song amassed a million views on YouTube.
During the announcement, NBM plc indicated the song will be remastered to suit the objective of the league and other NBM women initiatives, including the sponsorship of the Malawi women’s football national team.
Yesterday, the remixed version was released and it features popular football cheerleader Bwede, who has added a new dimension to the song as well as songstress Rae Nae and Wikise.
Speaking in an interview yesterday, NBM plc marketing and corporate manager Akossa Hiwa said their decision to acquire rights of the song was driven by the desire to find a sound that does not just accompany a league, but a sound that also captures the spirit.
She said the traction the song has achieved in the social media space is testimony that it had struck a cultural nerve.
“Pangolin is not just a song; it is a declaration. It affirms that to be unique is to be powerful and that our women in football, music and every space are valuable. Jetu is a woman living her artistic dream later in life, she is a living proof that talent and purpose are not bound by age,” she said.
Hiwa said the bank’s partnership with Jetu is an expression of their commitment to Malawian potential, not only in business and sport, but also in the creative economy. However, the bank has not disclosed the financial implications of the deal, describing it as ‘confidential’.
