By Kimpho Loka
Malawi captivated by magical Busy Signal
Over 5,000 fans filled the Sunbird Livingstonia Beach Saturday night to watch Jamaican reggae-dancehall superstar Busy Signal display a magical performance at the Sand Music Festival.
Amid cold temperatures on the shores of Lake Malawi, music lovers found warmth as the multi-talented singer heated up Salima with his old and new hit songs.
Busy Signal, who arrived in Malawi on Wednesday came out strong and performed for two-and-half hours non-stop.
Comprising people from different generations, races, nationalities and social status, 31 October will be remembered as the night when Busy Signal and his music connected the people in The Warm Heart of Africa as one.
He kept the fans dancing on the packed beach and singing along to his reggae and dancehall vibes including “One More Night”, “Come Over”, “Sweet Love”, “Missing You”, “Dreams of Brighter Days”, “Unknown Number” and “Gambler”.
He also spared about half an hour to dish out of classic renditions by other artists such as “Hello” by Lionel Richie, “Night Nurse” by the late Gregory Isaacs, Chaka Demus & Plies’ “Murder She Wrote” as well as a remake of P-Square’s “Personally”.
“My first time performing in Malawi and I’m more than impressed with the response from the audience. People give me the energy and their reaction gave me the reason to give back to them with 100 percent vibes. I’m ready to come back to Malawi whenever the promoters are ready,” said Busy Signal.
Mizu Band vocalist Eunice Kadzuwa-Mhango had this to say about Busy’s performance: “He was talking about 100 percent but he gave out 120 percent. He’s so energetic and interactive and that’s one thing that we lack here [in Malawi]. I’ve learnt that as artists we don’t have to take our fans for granted”.
One carnival goer, Prince Jere from Blantyre said Sand Music Fest has raised the bar when it comes to music festivals in Malawi.
“The festival has uplifted Malawian standards as far as festivals are concerned in the country. Having Busy Signal here is a milestone and I’m sure all festival organisers next year will try to raise the bar higher,” observed Jere.
Original post first published in Nyasa Showbiz.com