Sunny Boy on Hikwa and other moves

Reflecting on his previous offering, Sunny Boy says so much has changed in terms of how music is consumed these days compared to when he started his career.

He says technology has made their work easy but challenges are a lot too. In terms of sales, 'Ependafule' did quite well and he believes it could have done better. However with the increment of technological advances, issues like piracy prevail. “People don't really want to buy albums that much anymore. One will release an album and sales will be great the first two months and after that, no one wants to buy it. People end up copying the songs and send them to others via mediums like WhatsApp and that's how the majority of the country will have your songs but you only sold so few CDs.

You will find jukeboxes full of your music and it's all copied. We don't benefit anymore,” he said. Sunny Boy says technology has made it easy to get artistic work and creatives need to move with the times, get smarter and find ways how to combat these challenges without losing their fans.

He says, for him to benefit from his work more, Sunny Boy and his team will work on having a strong social media presence which includes releasing his album online. This is for him to reach his fan base outside Namibia and to minimise chances of him not reaping the full rewards of his work.

He will also have a marketing team who will sell the original copies of the album on the streets and to bar and jukebox owners - cutting out the vendors who sell pirated music.

“The thing is people genuinely want our music and many-a-time, they don't know where to get it and that is why they end up buying copied music, sometimes without knowing it and other times they know. So taking the music to them will reduce piracy but not get rid of it totally,” he said.

The king of Hikwa's latest offering 'Stealing My Heart', featuring artists Dice and Patrick, has been well received by the public.

He said he opted for the song to be the official single from the upcoming album 'Uuyelele' as it is soft on the ear and heart, and it is fitting with the current season.

Sunny Boy also said that it is a new sound he is trying as it is not his usual upbeat sound.

“It is a love song, very intimate, and since we are in winter, my team and I also took that into consideration as people will be chilling indoors so this song will be suitable for those chill sessions,” he said.

Although the sound is different, Sunny Boy said he is not going to change sounds, he is simply expanding his horizons.

He said his latest album contains Hikwa songs that are modern and that his fans are in for a treat.

Hikwa is a genre and movement that Sunny Boy initiated and it has gained momentum and has also gained a lot of followers from local artists. The movement is about encouraging the youth to be themselves and at the same time being appealing too.

Sunny Boy says he is proud of all artists like King Elegant as he is one of the few artists who have been able to take the Hikwa brand and personalise it to suit his brand.

“I don't appreciate artists who don't try. The ones that take the brand Hikwa and end up sounding exactly like Sunny Boy. Be creative because if you sound like me then you will stay under the shadow of Sunny Boy. So find yourself and do you,” he said.

'Uuyelele' will show maturity and growth from Sunny Boy as an artist and it will be jam-packed with songs from all genres.

He will have a lot of features and it will be followed by great visuals too. The award-winning artist said he is content and he will have a lot to offer to his fans in the upcoming weeks.

“They say the only thing that is constant in life is change so Sunny Boy will be moving with the times but the trick is to make sure that you don't loose yourself in the change. Remain yourself and stay relevant with the state of mind of society,” he concluded.

June Shimuoshili