Lilongwe-based artist Onesimus has established himself as one of the artists to be on the lookout for in the evergrowing Malawian music industry. Famous for his smooth vocals, and his genre-blending ability one that is able to seamlessly blend Afro-Pop, R&B, and traditional Malawian influences. Onesimus is on the rise, and he is building so much momentum with his cross-cultural appeal, putting so much work into positioning his country on the global map.
He has announced the release of his new record, My Woman, an afrobeat-infused track that celebrates the beauty of
cultural diversity and the universal language of music and sees the singer recruit various award-winning musicians,
the likes of MalomeVector from Lesotho, Lizwi Wokuqala from South Africa, and fellow Malawi musician Janta MW.
Speaking about his music, Onesimus shares: The song, “My Woman” is a tribute to all the incredible women around the world, appreciating their contributions and recognizing their excellence and elegance. The song uniquely blends four languages: Chewa, Zulu, English, and Sesotho through my brothers, Malome Vector, Lizwi Wokuqala, and Janta, who I featured on the track. Through this track, I express my gratitude and commit my time and love to these extraordinary women, acknowledging their brilliance.” Here, we caught up with him to get an overview of his musical upbringing, inspirations, new song, and what fans can expect from him next.
Listen to My Woman:
I’m doing great thanks, can’t complain.
Well, you know making it in the industry is not as easy as it looks there’s a lot that goes into it, from making the music to promoting the product and then sometimes you don’t get the response you are looking for from the industry and even the fans.. but that doesn’t stop me from pushing more and wanting to do it better each time.
Well, I started singing while I was young, living with my mother, influenced by the music collection that she’d play at Sunday Lunch. She encouraged me and gave me all the support, so music has always been there from a young age.. but when I was 19 years old, that’s when I realized that I wanted to do music, I wanted it really bad! I saw then, that this music thing is my path and I will run with it.
Well, I’ve always loved history and reading, one day, I came across this beautiful name, Onesimus, which has historical and biblical significance. Historically, he was an enslaved man who saved many lives, and biblically, he was a runaway slave who found redemption. The name and the stories resonated with me…
The song, “My Woman” is a tribute to all the incredible women around the world, appreciating their contributions and recognizing their excellence and elegance. The song uniquely blends four languages: Chewa, Zulu, English, and Sesotho through my brothers, Malome Vector, Lizwi Wokuqala, and Janta, who I featured on the track. Through this track, I express my gratitude and commit my time and love to these extraordinary women, acknowledging their brilliance.
The day I won an AFRIMMA Music Award in Nigeria in 2019 going up against some big names!! And I want to win a Grammy one day.
