The music career of Hellen Nyasulu, popularly known as Sindi, has taken her far and wide.
From participating in music competitions such as I Can Sing It Better on Zodiak TV, to winning a scholarship at Music Crossroads and attending an exchange programme in Norway called Move, her career appear to have experienced it all.
Sindi holds the influence from her mother as decisive to her career path. She said: “My mom is my major breakthrough. She used to push us to go and sing at her ministry praise team. I must admit I was very scared. But with time I have managed to achieve all these breakthroughs.”
Along her music path, Sindi has been a member of the Music Crossroads Daughters Band, but she was forced to withdraw when she went to Mozambique in 2017.
This year another opportunity beckoned the 31-year-old when she got listed among five Malawian artists to contest in the regional music competition My Booth, which is being coordinated by Pan-African Record Label Elation Entertainment of Zambia.
Sindi, together with compatriots Alipo Mpita, Joe Kellz, Chisomo Chimoto and Vanessa Nalikungwi got the nod to showcase their skills in the competition which also attracted other participants from Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Despite having a strong start in the competition and her wealth of experience in music, Sindi became the second Malawian representative to depart the stage following the eviction of Nalikungwi and later Mpita.
Though she failed to go all the way, she has opted to count the gains from her participation. Sindi said the competition was an opportunity for her to showcase her talent and network as well.
“Well, it is always nice to meet people that speak the same language as you do and share experiences, fallbacks and music ideas. It is an audience where you know you will be seen by a large audience,” she said.
The artist said she tried her best, but she points out some challenges she faced in the execution of the competition. She said being an established artist counted for nothing since every platform comes with unique challenges.
She said: “I brought my A-game. The competition had its challenges. There were times when the songs and genres were new to me. We were given a song during the night to practice so we can perform the next day. But I did my best.”
Sindi said she will to use the experience to practice her craft. She has also hinted at releasing her debut album which will be preceded by the release of her new single Chikondi Cha Maso next month.
The competition is now remaining with six contestants, two from Malawi, one from Zimbabwe and three from Zambia. This week, two contestants, one from Zambia and another from Zimbabwe, have been evicted.
Elation Entertainment chief executive officer Sokwani Chilembo said the competition is getting tougher every day.
He said in an interview from Zambia: “It has been very tight such that we have skipped certain evictions due to the competitive nature of the show. As different challenges are presented to the contestants, there is a divide that is being seen on who are the complete artists and those who have limitations.
“This will give us more insights on who should progress.”
Chilembo said the competitions ultimate goal is to allow the participants gain regional recognition and followership.
Local artist Namadingo is one of the judges and in an earlier interview he did not rule out the possibility of a Malawian emerging as the winner though he admitted that the contest is tight.
Sindi works for Ecobank in Mzuzu. Apart from music, she is also a beautician and runs a mobile massage spa called Golden Hands. Singles under her name include Nkhwilu, Welera and Mwana Africa.
