Gazza unveils Nyanga West

Namibian music veteran Lazarus ‘Gazza’ Shimi has announced his 14th studio album, Nyanga West, at a launch held at Diborh Carwash in Windhoek on Wednesday.The album is due for release on 30 November and continues Gazza’s contribution to Namibia’s music and creative industries.Opening the event, Gazza Music Production (GMP) team member Hope Kaizemi highlighted the label’s role in developing local talent.“Gazza Music Production has always been about more than simply producing music. It is creating, connecting and contributing to the growth of our music industry,” Kaizemi said.“Behind every song, every performance and every project is a team of people who were passionately behind the scenes to bring the vision to life,” she added.Gazza, a prominent figure in Namibia’s music scene for decades, used the launch to reflect on his career and his responsibility to the next generation of creatives.“Looking at my journey and also looking at the landscape here in Namibia in terms of the youth population and the unemployment rate and everything else, I came to a realisation that [over the] years, I have been giving back and I have been mentoring, but I think I was not doing enough,” he said.The veteran musician also voiced concern about Namibian audiences’ growing appetite for foreign music, saying he hopes his latest project will help reignite interest in local music.Nyanga West takes its name from Oshakati West, where Gazza was born.“It’s gonna be a double album, so the main album is Nyanga West, but there is also East,” Gazza explained.The two sides of the project will explore different sounds.“West is mostly kwaito, and East is now where you get different genres of music like Afrobeats as well,” he said.The 28-track project also features several Namibian artists, including Stakes Boy, Ms Gideon, Karlie and Yeezir, reinforcing Gazza’s focus on collaboration and supporting the local music industry.Gazza also encouraged emerging artists to stay consistent once they find a sound that connects with audiences.“For younger artists, they should keep on making music,” he said. “That one song that blows up, they should stick to that specific flow or genre and make music based on that till they have officially made it,” he advised.Gazza hopes Nyanga West will strengthen his musical legacy and breathe new life into Namibia’s local music scene.

Gazza unveils Nyanga West

Comments

Namibian Sun 2026-10-09

Please login to leave a comment

Gazza unveils Nyanga West

Comments

Namibian Sun 2026-10-09

Please login to leave a comment

Subscription Required to Access Content ×

Login

Subscription Required to Access Content