Soldier unpacks love and hate in new album

After a 30-year recording career, Lucius Banda is   set to unveil his 20th album, Love And Hate  on December 3 at Lilongwe Golf Club.

For many reasons,  the album may just be one of his most anticipated offerings. Being his last, it has generated enough interest on its own.

Secondly, people will be eager to see how the artist currently  President Lazarus Chakwera’s special adviser on arts and youth, percieves the political and socio-economic hardships as the Soldier of the poor.

In an exclusive interview, Banda said he still sees himself as the voice of the people.

He said the upcoming album is a  collection of all themes his career has represented such as politics, love, gospel and other contemporary issues.

“To me, it is just about highlighting what people are saying in the local set-ups. I am the people’s voice and I have to sing what people are saying.  Both the title track and Kalata Yachisanu are politically centred,” he explained.

The singer and composer said the  album’s overriding theme  is about the thin line between love and hate. He cited an example of how people can love a political party during elections and hate the same party five months down the line.

Banda said: “I am trying to explore things that people love and end up hating and what causes such outcomes. These are the examples that we are illustrating in Love And Hate.”

The artist also reterated his intention to step aside from recording, because the dynamics in the industry no longer allow him to be as competitive as he would want to. 

He said the culture of releasing albums is slowly dying and he does not see himself releasing another album in three or five years’ time.

The Mabala hit-maker considers himself more as an artist who writes his music and takes time to think over big issues before releasing them than a music businessperson. 

He stated: “People are so impatient that they want to hear new songs now and again. For people like us, who release new albums after two or three years, it seems to be tedious.

“People are turning music into something like a newspaper whereby if something is happening today then you have to sing about it the very day.”

Banda said music remains his biggest passion and highest qualification. He hinted that he will dedicate his time in promoting other artists to earn international recognition.

‘Soldier’ said: “I think I can make a better manager and agent for most of them. I can promote them internationally better if I am not an artist.

“That’s why I am trying to step aside. People should not think I am retiring and that’s it, I am actually going down to work for real now.”

He mentioned Paul Chaphuka, Lulu and Patience Namadingo as some of the standout artists he has worked with.

The musician said he is proud of his contribution to the industry and has called on the current crop to be on their toes because a decade from now, they will need to account for what they have done.

Banda said: “I would love to use the example of Jesus where he said, let me go so that you can grow.

“It was true because when he left the world, the church grew rapidly. The industry is still lacking. It’s falling short in terms of discipline and seriousness.”

Commenting on the upcoming album, journalist and art critic Mzati Nkolokosa said it is a tall-older for Banda to reclaim his status as a soldier of the poor because of the political trappings that he has been involved in over the years.

“It is almost impossible to reclaim that role, especially now when he is on the side of a system that is overseeing the worst economic turbulence since independence. He lost that privilege since he became partisan during the era of Bakili Muluzi,” he said.

The album combines some of his old songs and new ones. Next year ‘Soldier’ clocks 30 years since he dropped his first album, Son Of A Poor Man in 1993.