Jeoffrey Mukubi
After a memorable career as a rapper and radio personality, Louise Shilongo, formerly known as Snazzy, has decided to return and stake her claim as the queen of rap in Namibia.
Asked why she has not been on the scene for a while, Louise says she’s a very private person and did not like being seen anywhere – not even on social media.
“I like to keep my life private and I’m also not really a social media person – that is why I’m not on Twitter nor Facebook; all I have is Instagram,” she said.
She has, however, been working on musical content for the past few years although she has not come to release many of the songs. “I’ve been working on all kinds of sounds – not just hip-hop. I’ve been pushing myself to be more creative and not keep myself in a “hip-hop box”. I’m excited to share my creativity with the world, as it is very different from what I used to do as Snazzy,” she continued.
Commenting on the state of the music industry since she made her debut with the hit single ‘Say My Name’, Louise says it has grown and she is happy to see some of them doing amazingly well – even though most of them do not get backing to form their record labels.
Changing her name may be a surprise to some but the former beauty queen says the usual name, Snazzy, will always be a part of her. “I was about 14-15 years old when it became a household name in Namibia. However, it’s been many years since then. I have grown; I have changed – I have lived and I have matured. I’d like to share the person I’ve become now. My growth game is on a 100,” she said.
Louise assures that she expects to be back for good, as the public will soon see new material from her, and that she’s as happy as she can be.
The rapper, who hails from Tsumeb, became well known for her debut single ‘Say My Name’, which earned her nominations in the Best RnB/Hip-Hop Female categories at the Sanlam-NBC Music Awards. In 2005, she was nominated for the Most Promising Africa Artist. In 2008, she went on sabbatical and returned in January 2015 with a new single, ‘Get Down’.