After the passing of the legendary Dan Tshanda on 5 January 2019, Bosslady Sylvia Tshanda is making sure his legacy lives on by bringing Dalom Music to Windhoek’s Sam Nujoma Stadium next weekend.
The show is in celebration of her late husband’s legacy and will take place with her stable mates Matshikos, Peacock and Splash, in conjunction with several Namibian artists.
The Bosslady, as Sylvia is known, is the manager of Dalom Music. She told VIBEZ! the group is very hyped up to be coming back to Windhoek to share the stage with other local acts.
“We are so happy and grateful to have such big support and love from Namibians. This is gonna be a big celebration for the Boss (Dan) and we promise fireworks. Namibia was one of the countries he loved so much,” she said. Local acts such as Big Ben, Dixon, Wild Dogs, Dj Siya, and One Blood are billed to perform on the day.
The last time Dan was here was in 2019. Dan was a South African gospel musician who found Africa-wide and international fame with the band Splash in the 1980s and later on as a solo artist. Sylvia noted that life has not been easy without Dan, but they have been putting in the work he would have if he was still alive.
“Since his passing, we released a Splash album titled ‘Shanduka’. That was his last production and he was supposed to release it before his passing. This year, we released a new album for Dalom Kids called ‘Forgiveness’. I produced and composed the album with one of the band members – Walter Sithole, which is doing very well; the fans received it very well.”
Dalom Kids also collaborated with one of the biggest artists in Botswana – Vee Mampeezy. The single is called ‘Abathandanayo’. “I produced it with some Botswana producers and the single is a hit; we are busy with the whole album,” she said proudly.
Sylvia admitted that since Dan’s passing, they had fewer performances, especially with the live band, and also because of Covid regulations. “But I have been doing some promotions with Dalom Kids just to stay active. Since (Covid) restrictions were lifted, we are now getting more bookings. For example, in September we are doing, Mmabatho, Zimbabwe. In November, we are going to the UK, and in December we do Botswana with a live band.” She feels that her late husband’s legacy is worth preserving because it still resonates with his fans after being in the music business for over 20 years. “His music is very unique; there is something very special in it. You play ‘Peacock’ now and it is received as if it was released yesterday. His messages are now relevant to what is happening today, which is why he has a huge following even today. The young stars are even following his music because of its uniqueness, and touching sound. He left a very powerful legacy and is worth keeping alive.”
The head honcho feels life will never be the same and in hindsight, now knows that he prepared her for this journey.
“He was my soulmate for more than 20 years. We did everything together. Thank God I used to work with him in the studio; little did I know that he was training me to take care of his legacy when he is no more.”
Event organiser Tangeni Thlabanello said there’s a need to keep Dan Tshanda’s legacy alive as he did a lot, especially in the disco music genre, and inspired a lot of local music artists.
“Thus, we mustn’t forget his music. Secondly, the Namibian nation longed for such a show due to popular demand. I thought we needed to bring the show to Windhoek for the first time in a long time. Thirdly, our local artists were hard hit by the Covid pandemic. Therefore, it’s up to us – event organisers – to host events of such magnitude for our local artists to grace the stage with such big names and bring business to their pockets.”
Thlabanello said they are planning to give fans a show of a lifetime.
Tickets are available at web tickets online or at Pick ‘n Pay stores countrywide. Should anyone struggle to purchase tickets, they can contact the web tickets customer care number.
-slunyangwe@nepc.com.na