Just as the Ma/Gaisa scene was quieting down, popular duo T-Bozz and Staika recently released their fifth studio album titled ‘Sokolate’.
The group, comprising T-Bozz Haragaeb and Stanley ‘Staika’ Hangara, told VIBEZ! that after a two-year hiatus they decided to bless their fans with a full album.
“We have decided to work on a full album because our fans have been waiting for too long. We usually skip a year after releasing but due to Covid-19, the whole project was on hold and we didn’t want to disappoint our fans,” Staika explained.
Like most artists, the duo was hard hit as they mainly depend on live performances to make ends meet.
“It’s really hard as we have already used up all our savings because it has been almost two years without gigs, and we only used to get income when doing live shows. But now we lay low, at least getting support from our friends and family.”
Staika said the Ma/Gaisa genre felt the pinch the most, because many artists don’t get performing gigs anymore.
“Artists can’t afford to pay studio time as sponsors are also difficult to get these days. That’s why most artists have been quiet without releasing even a single.”
Sokolate is a 15-track album that encapsulates all types of genres. It was produced by Staika, also known as Magic Fingaz.
It has songs that both the youth and elders can enjoy, as they wanted to accommodate a broader market and their fan base has grown over the years.
The duo chose the title ‘Sokolate’ because it attracts the youth more. The song talks about how beautiful and sexy Namibian women are; they don’t need to suffer from gender-based violence.
A further cause of concern for the duo is the uncertainty surrounding the future of the Namibian Annual Music Awards (NAMAs) after the withdrawal of MTC from the annual event last year.
“It’s sad that there’s no awards ceremony this year but that doesn’t mean artists must stop doing music. People must support local music by buying hard copies and stop sharing music on WhatsApp groups because it affects our sales. ‘Sokolate’ is available countrywide; people can just call me if they want the album on 0812809788.” - slunyangwe@nepc.com.na