Musicians Share Industry Insights at Eunic Workshop

With the first ever Eunic Music Festival coming to an exhilarating end last Saturday, Namibians who attended the event were left with memories of one of the best concerts to grace the Warehouse Theatre this year.

Before the concert, though, some of the Namibian and European musicians who made up the line-up shared their experiences in their respective music industries at a free workshop aimed at attracting musicians and music students.

Hosted at the College of the Arts main campus in the Windhoek CBD, the workshop was attended by many aspiring musicians and music students as well as a handful of industry professionals who engaged the panel on the issues music industries the world over face.

Namibian rap sensation Lioness shared her road to becoming a rapper, telling workshop attendees that she grew up in a musical family and that sparked an early interest in music for her. “My mom loved music, my sister is a producer, it was all around me,” Lioness said of the musical influences in her family.

She also hinted at what gave her the foundation to become as resilient, determined and disciplined as she is when it comes to her craft, saying that she was raised in a strict home and that that honed a spirit of discipline and hard work in her.

Juggling a music career that’s picking up while pursuing her final year as a medical student is obviously a sign of just how disciplined she is.

Touching on the importance of education for musicians, most on the panel emphasised that while broadening one’s view of the world through education is important, it’s not always necessary to do so through formal education.

“To be great at something, you have to to work for it and you have to study for it. As a rapper, you also have study other rappers and other musicians,” French DJ Crabbe said. He noted that he was fortunate enough to be surrounded by like-minded musicians who motivated and encouraged him when he was starting out in his career, something that gave him a great start that the confidence to pursue music as a career. He added that avenues like YouTube avail immense opportunities to learn and improve on any skill set.

For the young ones who are unsure of the direction they wish to take musically, Lioness advised them to try out as many art forms as possible – something she said is important for young people in order for them to make their mistakes as early as possible so that it’s easier for them to find what they are really passionate about.

Workshop attendees were not shy to ask the musicians the tough questions, with one person asking the panel to talk about the perception that most musicians believe they can only perform while they are under the influence of narcotics, with all the musicians on the panel discouraging the use of any drugs during performances. “Personally, I don’t like to be out of it on stage. I keep that for other times, outside of the show,” Portuguese rapper Valas said.

Lioness had wise words for upcoming and aspiring musicians, telling them to embrace consistency and to accept advice from those who have been in the industry longer. “Know what advice is relevant to you. It doesn’t mean that if everyone gives you advice it’s going to pertain to you,” she added.

The Eunic Music Festival workshop was organised in an effort to provide Namibian and European musicians with the opportunity to exchange creativity and skills. The festival is billed to become an annual event.