No Young Stunna, no problem

By 5pm it was confirmed that South African amapiano artist Young Stunna would not make it to the Beerland Festival  at Moneymen Ground in Blantyre.

The development  shocked and disappointed many fun lovers who had waited for the day to arrive to see the Adiwele star perform live. But what began as mere social media speculation was soon confirmed as the truth.

After posting and later deactivating his social media handles, the South African musician later released a short statement, confirming that he indeed had failed to make it to the show.

‘Due to circumstances out of my and the promoters control, I was unable to travel to Malawi for the event scheduled at Moneymen Club. The flight back from East London this morning with Flysafair flight FA389 was delayed due to airport infrastructure issues and, unfortunately, we could not make it for the Malawi flight,” he wrote.

Young Stunna’s statement came moments after the show organisers had also put speculation to rest by confirming that the headliner for the show would not make it for the heavily billed event.

But that did little to disrupt the vibe at the event. The people showed up and the local acts proved they were not just curtain-raisers.

The performances were scheduled to start at 4pm, but due to the developments, the event only got to life late in the evening.

The organisers pulled a last minute trick by bringing in trending musician Jetu, much to the amusement of the patrons. The Chakwaza hit-maker thrilled on stage to underline her new-found status as the people’s favourite.

That was not all. The patrons also had the opportunity to sample Malawi’s current music hot shot Onesimus. The African Butter was at his usual energetic best. He sang and danced in the manner the audience wished.

His recent release Controller won him the hearts of many. He did little to sing it as the audience took over by singing the song line by line. But he was there leading the way and dancing.

Lilongwe-based hip-hop star Gwamba did not let down his guard either. With time in the trade, he has only gotten better and his stage act has vastly matured. He mesmerised the audience the duration of his stay on stage. None could ignore the magic he brought.

Zonke Too Fresh, Temwah and Eli Njuchi did not disapoint either. The acts did their best to ensure the absence of Young Stunna was just but a little dent on the night’s menu. The Moneymen Ground lit like it has never done before.