Kalux on giving back
This week tjil catches up with award-winning musician Kalux to speak about his current projects, winning the NAMA male Artist of the Year award, and his new street allocation.
We often hear entertainers saying how incredibly blessed they are for living their dreams, from touring the country to doing what they love and being recognised for it. Perhaps that's why so many of them dig deep when it comes to charity. Kalux chats about his community charity event that will take place next weekend.
Born in Outjo and raised in Otjiwarongo, Kalux says music wasn't his passion growing up and he never thought he would be a musician. In 2015, he was crowned Best Newcomer at the NAMAs. This year he walked away with the Best Male Artist title. As a way of showing gratitude to his fans, Kalux will be hosting one of his many-more-to-come charity shows. The first of the youth-dedicated shows will take place next weekend in Otjiwarongo and is expected to see approximately 12 000 children at the venue, excluding the community members.
“It is really for the kids. The event will start at 08:00 and end at 18:00, with their safety taken into consideration. We will be hosting all the high and primary schools in the vicinity of Otjiwarongo at Mokati Stadium and it will be a blast. Besides performing, I will also have a motivational session with the audience and we will tackle social issues,” said the artist.
Kalux says all the proceeds from the charity event will be ploughed back into the schools. The entry to the event is free, however, the schools are selling coupons for N$10 which will allow the children to take part in activities such as games and mini competitions. The artist has mixed feelings about schools not having to pay as this is one of the primary reasons for the event.
“100% of the money made is for the schools that generated it. It's good that parents are no longer paying school fees but it's bad because schools are struggling to sustain themselves and to carry out their tasks effectively. Teachers don't always have books, printers don't always have ink or paper and sometimes the learners don't have pens to write with. So all the money each school makes can be used to make the teaching process bearable,” he said. He said he further plans on making it annual and will be going region to region with the same concept.
The next town he plans to visit is Outjo where he was recently awarded a street name earlier this year. Kalux says he is grateful to the council for allocating him a street as it shows the importance of one staying true to themselves. Kalux was quick to brush off all the negative comments that have been made by the public, by saying that each one is entitled to their opinions and so was the Outjo town council.
“A lot of people believe that one can't always make it in their towns and all that glitters is in Windhoek. Wherever I go, I always refer to my roots, which are Outjo and Otjiwarongo because one must always remember where they come from. People have different opinions about my street name allocation but we don't all think alike,” he said.
The Neba Noupa single singer advises small-town artists to stop having the mentality of thinking one can only make it in Windhoek. He says there are different mediums, including the internet, which artists and entertainers can use to maximise their reach.
“It doesn't matter where you are from… if your music is good then it will work for you. Remember that what works for someone might not work for the next person. Find your niche, stick to it and people will love it. Do you and you will succeed,” he said.
The journey as the Male Artist of the Year 2018 has been amazing for Kalux and has opened many doors for him, he says. He says the title comes with responsibility which helped him grow as a brand and as an artist. Kalux says he has not let the title get to him and that he is still the same person he was. He will always be grateful to his fans who have been with him since day one and those that joined him during the journey.
He says he has many plans for the year and if all goes well, he will release his fourth album during the event on 8 September.
“I have so many plans but money remains a problem. But please keep up with me on my social mediums for all my plans and schedules of events,” he concluded.
June Shimuoshili
Born in Outjo and raised in Otjiwarongo, Kalux says music wasn't his passion growing up and he never thought he would be a musician. In 2015, he was crowned Best Newcomer at the NAMAs. This year he walked away with the Best Male Artist title. As a way of showing gratitude to his fans, Kalux will be hosting one of his many-more-to-come charity shows. The first of the youth-dedicated shows will take place next weekend in Otjiwarongo and is expected to see approximately 12 000 children at the venue, excluding the community members.
“It is really for the kids. The event will start at 08:00 and end at 18:00, with their safety taken into consideration. We will be hosting all the high and primary schools in the vicinity of Otjiwarongo at Mokati Stadium and it will be a blast. Besides performing, I will also have a motivational session with the audience and we will tackle social issues,” said the artist.
Kalux says all the proceeds from the charity event will be ploughed back into the schools. The entry to the event is free, however, the schools are selling coupons for N$10 which will allow the children to take part in activities such as games and mini competitions. The artist has mixed feelings about schools not having to pay as this is one of the primary reasons for the event.
“100% of the money made is for the schools that generated it. It's good that parents are no longer paying school fees but it's bad because schools are struggling to sustain themselves and to carry out their tasks effectively. Teachers don't always have books, printers don't always have ink or paper and sometimes the learners don't have pens to write with. So all the money each school makes can be used to make the teaching process bearable,” he said. He said he further plans on making it annual and will be going region to region with the same concept.
The next town he plans to visit is Outjo where he was recently awarded a street name earlier this year. Kalux says he is grateful to the council for allocating him a street as it shows the importance of one staying true to themselves. Kalux was quick to brush off all the negative comments that have been made by the public, by saying that each one is entitled to their opinions and so was the Outjo town council.
“A lot of people believe that one can't always make it in their towns and all that glitters is in Windhoek. Wherever I go, I always refer to my roots, which are Outjo and Otjiwarongo because one must always remember where they come from. People have different opinions about my street name allocation but we don't all think alike,” he said.
The Neba Noupa single singer advises small-town artists to stop having the mentality of thinking one can only make it in Windhoek. He says there are different mediums, including the internet, which artists and entertainers can use to maximise their reach.
“It doesn't matter where you are from… if your music is good then it will work for you. Remember that what works for someone might not work for the next person. Find your niche, stick to it and people will love it. Do you and you will succeed,” he said.
The journey as the Male Artist of the Year 2018 has been amazing for Kalux and has opened many doors for him, he says. He says the title comes with responsibility which helped him grow as a brand and as an artist. Kalux says he has not let the title get to him and that he is still the same person he was. He will always be grateful to his fans who have been with him since day one and those that joined him during the journey.
He says he has many plans for the year and if all goes well, he will release his fourth album during the event on 8 September.
“I have so many plans but money remains a problem. But please keep up with me on my social mediums for all my plans and schedules of events,” he concluded.
June Shimuoshili
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