Let’s embrace traditional sounds—Tay Grin
Rapper Tay Grin says local artists need to embrace local sounds and beats instead of copying foreign beats if they are to make a solid international breakthrough.
In an interview with The Nation, the rapper said local artists need to understand that all artists who have made it big in the world did so by being authentic.
“You cannot copy a foreign sound to perfection. That is why I encourage local artists to take their time and research on the local sounds that we have and create their unique sound,” said Tay Grin.
He said Malawi is rich in traditional sounds that can be studied and modified to perfection.
“We have so many traditional sounds such as manganje, gulewamkulu, soopa and others. What we need to do is to study these traditional dances, the instruments that are used and have a better understanding before embracing them,” said Tay Grin.
He said some artists think using Chichewa or other local languages is creating a local genre.
“Let me put it on record that you cannot call singing in local language a genre. You need to have the beat, the sound. I have seen some artists sing Chichewa by using the amapiano or Afrobeat. That is amapiano or Afro beat and there is nothing Malawian about it,” said the Chipapapa hit-maker.
Tay Grin said his latest single Tcha was inspired by manganje and gulewamkulu beats.
“I did not look any further than Malawi when creating the beat of that song. It is a pure local beat and I think that sets me apart. This is the kind of sound that can sell outside Malawi,” he said.
The rapper claimed that many artists in Malawi have the tendency to look at anything foreign as better.
Concurring with Tay Grin, Musician Union of Malawi president Vita Chirwa said if local artists concentrate on local traditional sounds they will be able to stand unique on the global stage.
“The sooner local artists embrace their own local beats, the better the chances of making it beyond Malawi borders,” he said.
Chirwa said as a union, they encourage artists to experiment with local sounds.
“These sounds are our heritage and we are free to use them to promote our music,” he said.
Recently, The Grammys have created a category for Africa, sounds and one of the things that they are looking for is authentic and unique traditional beats.
