Lioness embarks on farewell tour
• Final lap begins in the coastal town of
Walvis Bay this weekend
La-Toya Mwoombola Hamutenya, the award-winning Namibian performing artist known to many as Lioness, will take the stage this Saturday (24 May) at Katz Lounge in Walvis Bay, inaugurating her If Not In This Life (INITL) Tour — a national farewell celebration marking the close of a defining era in Namibian music.
This tour follows the release of her third and final studio album, ‘If Not In This Life’ which dropped late last year to both critical and commercial acclaim. The album’s standout track, ‘Omapiyano’ featuring Gazza and Willy G, set a national record as the fastest Namibian music video to reach a million views on YouTube.
The Walvis Bay performance, where Lioness will be joined by vocalist ML Musik, is the first of four highly-anticipated stops. The tour then travels north to Truth House & Entertainment in Ongwediva on Friday, 30 May, where she will perform alongside Amapiano artist Azmo Nawe. The following night, Saturday, 31 May, Lioness heads northeast to Rundu, where she will perform at Am Ludgerus Boutique with DJ Rossberry and a special guest appearance by South African media personality Pearl Thusi.
The tour concludes on Saturday, 7 June at The Loft in Windhoek, bringing the curtain down on what she has called her “final lap”.
“This doesn’t mean I’m disappearing,” she said before the tour, “just stepping away from creating music for commercial release.”
A career of cultural impact
Over nearly two decades, Lioness has emerged not only as one of Namibia’s most versatile performing artists but also as a pioneer in carving out space for women in African hip-hop. A trained medical doctor, she has consistently balanced her clinical commitments with a creative career that has garnered her continental awards and the admiration of both fans and peers.
Reflecting on her journey, Lioness points to several key moments that have defined her career: “The validation of winning awards, the mentorship of industry veterans who offered me insight and direction, and a groundbreaking appearance on Coke Studio Africa — where I stood out as one of the few first female rappers to grace the pan-African platform.
But for Lioness, the most enduring highlight has been simpler: “Just doing what I love.”
This tour follows the release of her third and final studio album, ‘If Not In This Life’ which dropped late last year to both critical and commercial acclaim. The album’s standout track, ‘Omapiyano’ featuring Gazza and Willy G, set a national record as the fastest Namibian music video to reach a million views on YouTube.
The Walvis Bay performance, where Lioness will be joined by vocalist ML Musik, is the first of four highly-anticipated stops. The tour then travels north to Truth House & Entertainment in Ongwediva on Friday, 30 May, where she will perform alongside Amapiano artist Azmo Nawe. The following night, Saturday, 31 May, Lioness heads northeast to Rundu, where she will perform at Am Ludgerus Boutique with DJ Rossberry and a special guest appearance by South African media personality Pearl Thusi.
The tour concludes on Saturday, 7 June at The Loft in Windhoek, bringing the curtain down on what she has called her “final lap”.
“This doesn’t mean I’m disappearing,” she said before the tour, “just stepping away from creating music for commercial release.”
A career of cultural impact
Over nearly two decades, Lioness has emerged not only as one of Namibia’s most versatile performing artists but also as a pioneer in carving out space for women in African hip-hop. A trained medical doctor, she has consistently balanced her clinical commitments with a creative career that has garnered her continental awards and the admiration of both fans and peers.
Reflecting on her journey, Lioness points to several key moments that have defined her career: “The validation of winning awards, the mentorship of industry veterans who offered me insight and direction, and a groundbreaking appearance on Coke Studio Africa — where I stood out as one of the few first female rappers to grace the pan-African platform.
But for Lioness, the most enduring highlight has been simpler: “Just doing what I love.”
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