Sunny Boy on the success of Uyelele

HAILED as the undisputed Hikwa King, Sunny Boy has made a tremendous comeback into the music industry to reclaim what he never lost. This past week Confidente’s Jeoffrey Mukubi spoke to the musical mastermind to pick his brain about the road to his latest album, titled Uyelele.

JM: Seeing as the album has a mix and match connecting with both and young, what was the inspiration and motivation behind it?

SB: The inspiration was simple. Make music that everyone will love and relate to as much as possible. Show them how extremely relevant you are and that you still got it, without losing your identity.

JM: How long did you work on the album and what were the most challenging aspects when it came down to recording the finished product?

SB: It took about a year and a half. The only glitches I would say were lack of studio time, but that is expected when you have the hottest most in-demand producer working on your project. But the patience and perseverance was well worth it.

JM: You seem to be big on fatherhood and being a responsible parent, does that in anyway correlate with your album?

SB: Yes, as you grow, especially into fatherhood, certain aspects of your life change. You start seeing things differently.

You start planning differently and your vision is altered so you try to align it accordingly with that of your offspring. You work harder, you are more focused and much more motivated.

JM: Seeing that you have been in the game for a fairly long time, what are some of the lessons you learnt over the years.

SB: To believe in yourself, to never lose yourself trying to please people, because that comes to bite you in the butt; to be strategic and to never hold back and always go for that gut feeling.

JM: Your song ‘Young Wild and Free’ is the smash hit, how was it made?

SB: We came in the studio and we wanted to make something light and easy to the ear and ‘Young Wild and Free’ was made. I learnt a lot from that too.

JM: Also what do you think about the nominees at this year’s biggest music award show?

SB: The nominees are not bad, at all. A few adjustments I would make but hey then again it’s awards, Namibian awards for that matter, so you have to expect a little drama and controversy.

JM: Anything you would like to add?

SB: I would urge the nation at large to support local music by buying original works and coming to live shows. I would also urge all local radio stations to please pay our royalties, because some don’t – and to play more local or all local music if and when possible.

Last but not least, the music organisers must begin to consider their local artists as first priority when it comes to events. It does not help inviting outside artists and paying them so much money while we only get bread crumbs from that. When will we ever grow if you keep giving the money away? If you undermine us at home, then the rest of the world will do the same. It’s time to start taking care of [people at] home first, like everyone else is doing out there.