New year, new name!

MICHAEL KAYUNDE

WINDHOEK

For musicians, rebranding is a great tool to reinvent themselves. It’s a time to come out with a new aspect of themselves.
A rebrand can infuse new blood and fresh perspective and reveal a new piece of them to the world.
It’s an opportunity to hit reset on their music and persona. It can also be a turning point. Namibian musicians have not been missed by this wave, and the latest artist to switch up their name is Universal Master Builders (UMB) signee LOFT, who has changed his name to Morenga.
Explaining the history of the name, the musician shared that Jacob Morenga was a Herero/Nama chief and anti-colonial leader in the early 19th century who contributed to the freedom of Namibia, helping establish peace between the tribes.
“This is a name my father gave me and it’s always made sense to me.”

‘Modern-day desert rebel’
He added that he describes himself as a “modern-day desert rebel” as a Coloured/German man who has ancestral roots of both the oppressors and the oppressed.
“I’ve always been radical in my ways, having no fear of speaking what's in my mind and heart,” he said.
With a new name also comes new music. Morenga announced that he will be releasing his first song under his new alias on Thursday, 4 February.
UMB released a teaser to the forthcoming song on social media yesterday.