Jonathan Butler in town for Jazz Festival
Jonathan Butler will be headlining the Windhoek Jazz Festival this year. (Photograph by Mandisa Rasmeni).
“I am here to pour out my heart to you, and for the first time I came with a South African band, and I am happy with the quality of musicians in Africa,” he said, advising Namibian musicians to be diligent in their work and become their own brand and CEO. Plus, he said that hard work pays off even though it sounds like a cliché.
He said he started as a pop artist, but then moved to R&B, Jazz and now he also does Gospel music. “I am a born again Christian and therefore I make sure I do uplifting music. Even if it is a love song it should be uplifting and not degrading in any way,” he emphasised.
“I do a lot of genres and therefore I am like a spice that keeps growing and a student and lover of music,” he added saying that he can not define himself and that the is open-mined and does not confine himself to a specific genre.
He owns his own safari company taking tourists from America to South Africa, and he is also planning on bringing them here to Namibia. Earlier in the week, Jonathan also held a workshop with Namibian artists where he aimed to stimulate their creativity and empower them to build their own musical brand.
Another artist who will be sharing the stage with Jonathan at the Festival is Hip Hop Pantsula, a South African Motswako rapper. Local artists will include FU JAZZ Band, Lize Ehlers, Sean K and Dixon.
Hip Hop Pantsula is a renowned South African Motswako rapper who frequently performs in indigenous languages. He delivers a richly satisfying listening experience with his ability to rhyme off his tongue and creates a rhythmical melody with words. He is drawn to musical genres such as Funk, Soul, Urban and vocally driven pop songs – as well as his increasingly visible affection for traditional music, which is highly evident in his music.
