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Home / ‘Vanity’ had problems, but a man wasn’t one – says Candy
‘Vanity’ had problems, but a man wasn’t one – says Candy
2018-01-29Staff Report 2 Jeremiah Ndjoze Windhoek-Break-ups of many music groups generally come after a snowballing process often marked by rumours of a split and ambiguous comments. Yet, the breakup of Namibian musical duo, Vanity, crept upon on the masses without so much hullaballoo. In 2008 an Afro-pop singing group called Vanity, which consisted of Mathilde ‘Candy’ Simasiku and Victoria ‘Sisty’ Naunyango stormed onto the national stage. In early 2009 the girls collaborated on an album targeting so called ‘born-frees’ and focused on getting 18-year-olds to register for the presidential and parliamentary elections that were scheduled for November 2009. The group warmed the hearts of many Namibians with their progressive outlook and positive message. In 2014, after many near misses at the Namibian Music Awards (NAMAs), their single track ‘Get to Know You’, scooped the Best Single Album category award. Finally Vanity was dominating the national music stage and seemed destined for greatness, only for the country to wake up to news of their untimely breakup, a few months later. And as expected, the rumour mill shifted into overtime. Some suggested that in the midst of their euphoria one of the girls crept onto the other’s domestic turf in a manner that could be deemed a threat or an attempted takeover. Simasiku this week, rubbished these claims maintaining that nobody slept with anybody’s man. Besides, she said, there was no man. “If my memory serves me well, we were both single ladies then. Rumours are carried by haters, spread by fools and accepted by idiots. As long you are alive you will be in people’s mouths. As a strong, independent lady I can confidently tell you that we were loyal to each other; we will never steal or sleep with each other’s ‘property.’ Who does that?,” says Simasiku. She reiterated that with the soaring population of eligible bachelors roaming the streets of Windhoek, there is no way that any ‘principled woman’ would stoop that low. She further hinted that, if anything, their breakup could be attributed to their bloated egos that may have led to both of them shifting their focus away from the prize. “In every friendship there are issues. Nobody is perfect. People make mistakes and they can learn from them, it’s never too late to change,” she said adding that the complex nature of women in general may have come into play as well. “Women can be very tricky sometimes, so you may need to be complicated in order to understand them. I will tell you now that I loved and enjoyed the times that we were best friends, I would not trade it for anything,” Simasiku said. This will not be the first time that Simasiku has attempted to extend an olive branch to her disgruntled former band member. Last December she posted the following on Naunyango’s Facebook wall; ‘I know that we are not on good terms but I shall never forget the good friend you were. Writing this does not mean, I want our friendship back. I simply want to let you know that I care and that you mean a lot to me. I wish you nothing but the best in all u do. And where ever you found yourself hold God close to you. I wish u find a perfect angel who does not argue or fight. Remember this; to make one hundred friends in one year is not a great achievement. But to make one friend for a hundred years, that is the true achievement.’ Queried as to whether or not she sees any chance for a renewal of both their business and personal relationships in the near future, Simasiku went philosophical. “When two people used to live, laugh, work and feel pain together, for almost nine years of friendship, of course one would like to find a way to fix things. She was not only my best friend but she was like my sister.” Adding that at this stage she only wants to, “ask for forgiveness and she will hate it, if they are to become enemies.” She told Entertainment Today that at this stage everything related to Vanity has been put on ice and as such no mutually beneficial business undertakings are happening between the two former group members. Naunyango could not be reached for comment. 2018-01-29Staff Report 2
