Juggling music, welding, tailoring, carpentry

They say a jack of trades turns out to be a master of none. But that adage is not discouraging 27-year-old musician Leo Maloya from engaging in all his skills and talents. The Blantyre-based artists juggles from music, tailoring, welding to carpentry. Our Staff Writer Revival Mwamwadi caught up with him to share more on his passion and career. Excerpts:

Q

: Who is Leo Maloya?

A

: My name is Leo Maloya also known as Lhomwe Prince. I am 27 years old. I am currently staying in Blantyre and my home village is Holowanya in Chiradzulu.

Q

: How did you start your music career?

A

: I chose music as a career five years ago. I started in a church choir and I then gained the passion to start singing my own music till it turned into a career. I thought I could be the voice of the voiceless, like touching and changing many lives. Above all the church choir motivated me to start this music journey, a thing which I am proud of.

Q

: What type of music do you do?

A

: I do local music. I look at myself as a Malawian first before anything else. Being an artist, I find that to be a perfect platform for me to sale and promote Malawian culture unlike being a copycat. Traditionally, I am a Lhomwe and I take great pride in projecting the values of my tribe and cultural background. So far I have produced seven songs including, Mkazi Wachi Lhomwe, Nasibeko and Mayi Mkulu which talk about the Lhomwe culture.

Q

: Do you have a music album or any plans of producing one?

A

: I have not yet come up with an album but if all goes well I might produce one next year.

Q

: What else do you do apart from music?

A

: Besides music, I do tailoring, designing, welding and carpentry. I call my tailoring brand ‘Mtambo Wear’ and through my music talent, I promote my clothing line in a way that it has helped to expand my customer base. Most of my customers happen to be my music fans. So I can’t talk about music without mentioning my business.

Q

: Have you ever collaborated with any established artists in the country?

A

: I have only worked with two famous Malawian musicians in ‘Sir’ Patricks and Stitch Fray, but we have not yet released the songs.

Q

: What are your future plans as far as music is concerned?

A

: It is my wish to reach that international standard so that I can represent Malawi and teach the global world more about our country through my music.

Q

: What can you say to the youths who are aspiring to reach your level?

A

: I can only plead with them to get themselves busy and hustle around. They should not wait for luck but rather chase it and challenge themselves in trying out different things. They will later discover their talents. I will agree that not all beginnings are beautiful but if you trust and believe in yourself, blessings will keep soon come your way.