And there soars Bucci

It might be the stab of the silk-pitched and heart-piercing voice in his first single, Umbombo. Or it might be his magic when giants pull him into their songs: he is the one, betraying dazzle in Barry One’s Wapilira; he stands on song’s anthill in Gwamba’s Ndiyima Pachulu and in Diktators’ Zokhumba, he is a ruthless dictator, a giant of the chorus.

From whatever angle you would wish to describe him, this 19-year-old boy, though upcoming, has already proved an aged-kid of Malawi’s urban music.

The weight of his metaphorical compositions reveals early maturity. Not to talk about his stage composure and his glitzy public display—the sum of which, already, is something moving music producers and promoters to knock at his musical door. They want his grandeur in their fold.

“He is the next big thing in urban music,” said Percy Manyozo, the Pro-Pee Record Company music producer who unearthed big names like Maskal and Armstrong.

However, despite the jazz, Bucci is yet to cut a debut album. He has only, under the musical tutelage of Percy, released three singles: Umbombo, Ndinamuuza and Ujeni.

But the lyrical prowess and fine voice in the songs have been sufficient for Bucci to begin to bestride Malawi’s urban music like a giraffe. Today, most established artists want him in their songs. In fact, he has worked, among others, with celebrated Young Kay, hip hop legend Barry One, award winning Gwamba and, recently, lyricist Diktator.

But though rising to the apex of hype, the fast-speaking, yet mellow-voiced Bucci is always the first to deny.

“My music is still in its infancy. I still have a lot to do to prove my mettle. It’s not easy, I know. But the journey has begun without looking back,” he said in an interview with On the Arts.

That journey, actually, has not really begun today. It dates seven years ago in a youthful gospel group known as G-Seven. It was a group of brothers and cousins—mostly performing at church.

“We then formed another group, BBM, though still Chilomoni based. Armstrong was one of it. It was still gospel,” he added.

But with days turning into months and years, the group started to crack under the weight of individual passions. Going solo, as a result, was born.

“I talked to a number of guys in the music industry. I was struggling to compose in Chichewa so most of my songs hardly went public,” he said. In 2008, Bucci met Percy.

“That was almost a breakthrough. He told me I have a powerful voice and, together, we started making compositions. Unfortunately, we lost track,” he said.

Caught up in the wilderness, especially at the time when Armstrong was enjoying airplay, Bucci had to turn to the old brother.

“I told him that all I wanted was to play a backing vocal to his music. I wanted a space to get exposure. When he accepted it all went well. That gave me an opportunity to interact with several other artists,” he said.

Through backing Armstrong, Bucci began to rub shoulders with musical giants like Lulu, Piksy, Maskal and Lucius Banda.

Currently Bucci is in the studio working on a debut album.

“I am working with various producers. But Percy is the one who is my lead producer. He means a lot to me,” he said.