Lulu: Rising stage king

He is becoming an act of its own—a must to watch. Youthful Lulu is a singer and producer turned stage king.

Born Lawrence Khwisa, the artist has three loveable albums which fuse R&B and Jazz, but market forces are pushing him towards reggae and traditional beats.

His performances and playlists—as witnessed at Miss Matofoto and Tilipano Leisure Centre in Lilongwe recently—are not static. When he unleashed Wachenjera Darling from his third album Sindilora at the biggies’ beauty pageant, he had craftily sheathed hits from Mbambande and Kumalembe for the crowds at Tilipano.

“It comes from patience and thorough preparations. People are tired of watching dancers. Artists have to do more because entertainment is more than music now. The options for the audience are many,” says Lulu, whose performances are often packed with energy, stage movements, eye contact, interactive vocals, sing-along spots and coordinated instrumentation.

Born and bred in Lilongwe, he cites Michael Jackson of the Moonwalk dance fame and Usher as his stage inspirations.

Like most Malawian artists, his music journey started at church laced with influences on international idols. He feels a coordinated mix of dance and vocals gives artists the power and flexibility to control the audience.

Apart from singing and dancing, he plays anything except blowing instruments. The multitalented father of two says the inclusion of dancers will be useless if it does not add any value to the act.

Over and above all the jazz, he says he misses his privacy.

“I have to think twice before I go to the market. People shout my name and I have to smile,” says Lulu, also confessing being hounded by fans and ladies with sinister motives.

As such, he finds it “safer” to run Mathumela Studios at home. He also has a band of the same name even if he usually performs along Soldier Lucius Banda.

While he refutes being among the best, Lulu deserves all superlatives when it comes to dancing, singing and playing instruments.