Musician Shanice Adidja thrives against all odds
Katima Mulilo-based singer and songwriter Rebbeca ‘Shanice Adidja’ Kutiya says she faced an uphill battle to gain recognition in a male-dominated music scene.
“Making music in Katima has been quite tricky. I remember when we started making music back in 2009, I was one of the only female artists at the time. Every time we attended a show, I was always the youngest and only female artist, and the other artists would always push me to perform first. I’d perform to a crowd of less than ten people and then perform later on in the night when more people show up,” she said.
Adidja said her passion for music started at home.
“I grew up listening to a lot of reggae music. My mom played a lot of Lucky Dube songs. Sometimes, I would notice her writing her songs, especially gospel songs. She still performs and I think that’s where I got my passion for music."
Listening to the beat
She recorded her first song in 2009.
"I've been recording and performing a lot thereafter. I do reggae and afrobeat, but I’m not limited to those two genres, so sometimes we do afrobeat, kizomba and a little bit of gospel and dancehall. It depends on what song we’re doing or the type of beat we have on the day,” she added.
Adidja was mentored by award-winning Gal Level, the R&B female duo from Windhoek. Her talent has not gone unnoticed and she has begun to garner attention in the music industry with her radiant voice.
From the heart
She recently announced the release of a work titled ‘Inkulo’, which translates to 'heart'.
“The project will consist of about 10 songs. The songs on this project mostly focus on relationships and social life. This project is like a diary to me because it portrays my personal life. Before I started working on this project, I was going through a difficult time. I had just lost my grandmother, and the pain of losing people I loved inspired me,” she said.
Despite challenges such as a lack of promoters and funding, Adidja remains determined to reach great heights in her musical career. “The projects also talk about gender-based violence, and I hope through little gestures like this we can one day put an end to it,” she added.
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“Making music in Katima has been quite tricky. I remember when we started making music back in 2009, I was one of the only female artists at the time. Every time we attended a show, I was always the youngest and only female artist, and the other artists would always push me to perform first. I’d perform to a crowd of less than ten people and then perform later on in the night when more people show up,” she said.
Adidja said her passion for music started at home.
“I grew up listening to a lot of reggae music. My mom played a lot of Lucky Dube songs. Sometimes, I would notice her writing her songs, especially gospel songs. She still performs and I think that’s where I got my passion for music."
Listening to the beat
She recorded her first song in 2009.
"I've been recording and performing a lot thereafter. I do reggae and afrobeat, but I’m not limited to those two genres, so sometimes we do afrobeat, kizomba and a little bit of gospel and dancehall. It depends on what song we’re doing or the type of beat we have on the day,” she added.
Adidja was mentored by award-winning Gal Level, the R&B female duo from Windhoek. Her talent has not gone unnoticed and she has begun to garner attention in the music industry with her radiant voice.
From the heart
She recently announced the release of a work titled ‘Inkulo’, which translates to 'heart'.
“The project will consist of about 10 songs. The songs on this project mostly focus on relationships and social life. This project is like a diary to me because it portrays my personal life. Before I started working on this project, I was going through a difficult time. I had just lost my grandmother, and the pain of losing people I loved inspired me,” she said.
Despite challenges such as a lack of promoters and funding, Adidja remains determined to reach great heights in her musical career. “The projects also talk about gender-based violence, and I hope through little gestures like this we can one day put an end to it,” she added.
[email protected]
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