Danny kalima at it again

When he was announced as the winner of the R’n’B category of the second Malawi Music Awards last year, a lengthy and heated debate ensued.

Some fans wondered as to how Danny Kalima formerly known as Sirius in the music circles was declared the winner after getting more votes from the public. Their argument was simple, he is not popular enough, and how could he win?  What songs are to his credit?

Kalima was one of the biggest surprises of the night.

But that was not all, the same year Kalima was nominated for the best African R’n’B artist or group in continental awards the All Africa Music Awards (Afrima). He did not win the award but doubting fans and artists started to notice him as a force to reckon with.

Today, Kalima is one of the participants of The Voice of Holland (TVoH) currently in its seventh season. The R & B singer, an artist for 26 years, recently moved to the Netherlands and wants to show what he is capable of doing.

His professional music career can be traced to the Konkalazi Band, founded in 2008, which won the Music Crossroads International Festival held in Maputo in 2012.

The feat in Maputo opened doors for the Konkalazi. As a grand prize the groups won a tour of five European countries.

Kalima saw an opportunity on the tour and decided to go solo. In November 2014, he signed a deal with a United Kingdom (UK)-based record label, The Spare Dog, which released and promoted his album Young Shall Grow.

The album features the song, Dusty City, which talks about migration of people from different parts of Malawi to Lilongwe. It was a hit both locally and on the international scene.

Having built up quite a name here at home and on the continent as a singer, he says he craved to start over again in the Netherlands.

He auditioned as a contestant for The Voice of Holland.

“I did the blind auditions and luckily I was picked. Now I am in the show.

“The Blind Audition show was on television on October 28 2016 and this is the 7th season of TVoH,” he said in an interview from his base in Apeldoorn.

In the blind auditions, contestants sing to the official coaches, sitting on a chair that is turned back from the stage. The coaches only judge by the power, clarity, type and uniqueness of the artists singing prowess.

If they like what they hear and want to mentor the artist for the next stage, they push a button by their chair that turns to face the stage for the first time and also see the artists for the first time after they sing to avoid any undue bias according to characteristics and personality.

It was through this process that judges, Ali B, a Dutch rapper of Moroccan descent and Guus Meeuwis both hit the buzzer to mentor the Malawian, but Danny settled for the former.

According to Dutch media, Kalima perfomed Happy by Pharrell Williams and his performance won the hearts of the two judges.

Asked why he participated in the music show, the 27-year-old did not hesitate to say: “Because I want to be famous.”

Ali B was left with no option but say: “You deserve to go through”.

“It has always been my dream to be in such a show. I am a full time musician and every day I look for opportunities and I thought this was the one. The show has a huge Dutch following and everything is professional.

“I feel blessed to be part of one of the biggest reality music shows in the world. And since this is away from home it’s an honour. I feel motivated to do better with my music. I am learning a lot from the show as to how well to become better in terms of stage presence, vocals and how to smile on the camera, among others,” he explained.

The second stage of the competition is the battle round where two artists are mentored and then developed by their respective coach.

The coaches of the team dedicate themselves to developing their artists, giving them advice, and sharing the secrets of their success in the music industry.

Members of the team battle against each other by singing the same song simultaneously, while their coach decides who should continue in the competition.

The battles are at the end of next month and Danny is leaving no stone unturned in his quest to do better.

“I am not sure of the exact date, but it is month end. So I am preparing myself by mostly focusing on music stage work performance, vocal lessons and Dutch language. It also depends on the songs I will be given. I need songs that I am confident doing and can rise above,” he explained.

The final stage, which is the live show, is where the surviving contestants perform in front of the coaches, audience and is broadcast live. Each coach has four artists in their team to begin with and the artists will go head-to-head in the competition to win the public votes. These will determine which artist advances to the final eight.

The remaining three artists’ future in the show is determined by the coaches, choosing who will progress.

The final eight artists compete in a live broadcast. However, the coaches have a 50/50 say with the audience and the public in deciding which artists move on to the final four phase. In the latter, each coach will have one member who will continue.

The winner round is decided upon by the public vote which the coaches will frequently perform with their artists.

“5 000 auditioned and 160 made it to the blind audition and about 80 made it to the battles. I am looking forward to nothing but a win.

Where I am coming from, based on the figures, I am confident to doing well,” said Kalima. n