Mzansi meets Malawi!
Africa's Golden Boy Ciza and Malawian sensation Zeze Kingston team up for hit single Shugga
Malawian musical sensation Zeze Kingston (28) collaborates with Africa's Golden Boy Ciza and international hitmaker music producer Tony Duardo on his new single Shugga.
It's no secret that choosing the right words to express the thrill of love and infatuation is important. No word describes it better than the word Shugga - it's sweet and the main ingredient in all our favorite treats, making it the perfect metaphor to describe how sweet it feels to love and be loved in return.
The collaboration came naturally as the two artists and producers are each other’s biggest fans. Zeze first fell in love with Ciza’s single Bank Notification featuring DJ Maphorisa and had known of Tony Duardo’s genius production and they were sold.
“The musical chemistry was unmatched, Tony made the beat, and we completed the song within an hour and 30 minutes,” Zeze Kingston says.
Zeze describes his style of music as African Melodic.
He began his music career began in his teen years. The word Zeze – means ‘the harp’ in Chichewa. The harp is a string instrument. Zeze was given the name by his grandmother who was a pastor at a 7th-Day Adventist when she spotted his talent from a very young age.
“I used to sing in the church choir, but I didn’t last very long because I was impatient when people took longer to get the notes correctly or to perfect a song,” Zeze chuckles.
“But I have since grown and understood that things take time. My grandmother saw my talent and gave me that name.”
After high school, Zeze got a certificate in Purchasing and Supply Chain Management. Coming from a church background, his cousins were part of a famous Malawian band called the Dare Devils.
“Music runs in my blood and it’s all I know,” he adds.
He got into a studio and recorded his first sing titled Bad Girl in 2014 which did not get as much traction as he had hoped.
“I was always way ahead of my time, and it seemed that people were not quite getting the sound as yet. But I pushed,” Zeze says.
Not getting the breakthrough he deserves, Zeze took a short hiatus from, music to work at a bookstore to improve his English as well as support his family.
“As the eldest son with three younger sisters, my dad and I were the breadwinners of the home and I had to take a pause from music to go and hustle to make ends meet. So, working at the bookstore came with the benefit of me improving my English and gaining more social skills,” she says.
After three years of working as a bookseller, he went back to his first true love, music, and released chart-topping singles.
“I was too passionate about music, so I quit the job and pursued my dream and here I am today doing what I love.”
Through his music and hard work, he wishes to unite the African continent and open doors for aspiring artists.
