Mushe, Tequila: awards opened doors for us

Last year’s Namibian Annual Music Awards (NAMAs) saw two of the country’s most under-rated artists at the time stealing the show. It was a fairytale story for both, who prior to being crowned as Best Male and Best Female artists respectively struggled to find the respect and recognition they deserved. Tequila knows all about hard work and contributing to the success of others. Before her smash hit album ‘Golden Sunset’, Tequila was mostly known for singing in collaboration with artists such as Sunny Boy and D-Naff. With the release of ‘Golden Sunset’ she came into her own. Her song ‘Party Tonight’ became a party anthem and her celebrity status reached an all time high. Best Male Artist of the Year, Mushe, has been on the scene since the days of Exit & Mushe. Together the two became a household name. However, as a solo artist, he didn’t enjoy the same recognition as more established male artists like The Dogg and Gazza. That all changed with the release of his acclaimed album ‘Omunangeshesa’. It was as if the respective artists just found their rhythm with the release of their albums. Today they are two of the most respected artists in the country, an indication that with the title of the Best Male or Best Female artist awards come respect and status. Namibian Sun spoke to the two artists this week. It’s easy to tell that the two share a close friendship. ‘Mush’ as Tequila fondly calls him, waits as Tequila explains that she actually wasn’t expecting to win. “My husband was the one who kept saying you’ll get it, you must believe. But for me it was a thing of if you get it you get it and if you don’t then it’s also fine,” she says. Tequila says she couldn’t move when her name was first called, it’s like she went numb. The ‘Ohole Onene’ hitmaker says that when she realised that it was her name that was announced as the Best Female Artist of the Year, she suddenly became so scared to go on stage. Asked about whether prior to the release of ‘Golden Sunset’ she didn’t believe in herself, Tequila says that she did, but she is just naturally a very humble person. “People have always told me that I have a great big voice, but I just tried to not get cocky about it and kept my feet on the ground,” she says. Mushe was just as shocked when his name was called and tells us his friend K-Boz had to tell him to get up and go receive his award. “First I looked around to see who was standing up, because I still wasn’t convinced that they called my name,” he says laughingly. Asked about what his secret to success is, he says it’s simple: his album was good. “I worked on that album a whole year, and focused on what people want to hear. I did my research on what’s current,” he says. Asked about what each is most excited about in terms of this year’s awards, Mushe says that he is glad to be nominated in fi ve categories. Tequila says that she is excited because this year all eyes are on the Best Female category and that’s good for female progress. Both are reluctant to say what they did with last year’s prize money, but agree that the NAMAs are an important platform that opened many doors for both of them.