Strauss Lunyangwe
Some people say give praise where it is due, which is the case with Fernando Carlos, notably known as Carlito, as his colleague and events promoter Bomba expressed his gratitude towards him. Bomba, the founder of the Kasi Vibe festival and owner of Garden In, recently posted on social media that the entertainment industry doesn’t appreciate Carlito enough.
‘’He managed to introduce us to new names we never knew and turned those names into well-recognised brands. I met Kalux because of him in 2012/13, introduced Virmos Bar, Dj Castro, Jayden, and YNOT events; we need to give you your flowers while you’re here young king,’’ the post read.
Entertainment Now! caught up with the hardworking entrepreneur to find out where his love for the entertainment industry comes from. He informed this reporter that he loves music very much.’’
“Back in the day, I chilled with friends who were musicians. Since I’m a very observant and an informative person, I always thought I can make a difference by helping my friends with the info I know,” he narrated.
He feels most of the artists he has worked with are hardworking artists.
‘’It’s easier when you push someone that has the drive already. The rest we left it in God’s hands and everything always seems to fall in place because coming from a small town like Otjiwarongo, it ain’t easy at all,’’ he explained.
To date, Carlito feels that Bush Party is the biggest event he has pulled off with his team. He had an idea of having an event in the Bush with no curfew or such. He told his friends about it and they were like, “Are you crazy; how will you get electricity there? Who will drive out of town to attend, etc.?”
However, since he is an informative person, he said ‘’I did my homework and gathered all the information I needed to execute an event of that magnitude. The first Bush Party was on the 4th June 2016 (winter) and we had 2 036 people. After that, we never looked back,’’ he pointed out.
His mission in life is to bring growth within the music and entertainment scene. He feels music has so much power – and if you are smart, there are so many ways to make things happen.
He further explained that he too has failed so many times at what he does but did not give up.
‘’It’s always worth a try. Recently, we opened a new radio station – Otji Fm – and I’m one of the owners there. The goal is to create opportunities for my fellow brothers and sisters – and at the same time, grow within what you love. I personally have other things going [on] in my life but the music business has 50% of my time,’’ he ended.
As the pandemic has put the entertainment on pause, he said business is not as it used to be but when a person has a few deals with corporates, you still manage to survive while waiting for everything to go back to normal. Their plan is to continue and do better.
Covid-19 has made them wiser.
Carlito revealed that YNOT Records signed a new artist, Yeezir, a talented 19-year-old who dropped his debut single on the 3rd of August 2020 and believes he is going be the next big thing out of Otjiwarongo.
– slunyangwe@nepc.com.na