Gazza reflects on family

FANS know him as superstar performer Gazza, with a string of hits and awards to his name, but few know the man behind the artist.

Gazza has been quite guarded about revealing much about his family and home life in the past, but he recently opened up about his life away from the limelight during an interview on Desert Radio.

He doesnt often talk about his family, he says, because he doesnt want to drag them into his world.

“This is my doing. It leads to them experiencing pressure. For example at school, the children would say that oh Gazza is your father,” he says.

He admits that he often struggles to jungle his time between his family, music career and friends, and he says he feels like he doesnt get the chance to do the things he loves to do.

“Especially now that it is raining… I would like to go camping in the tall trees somewhere in the Kavango. Travel with a group of people who are just fun. We drive out, everything is serviced. There is no going to the shops and hopefully also no network, so no one can go on their phones. That is what I really would like to do,” he says.

When he does find the time, Gazza enjoys watching football and researching music.

“I often stay up until 05h00, just studying music. This is what keeps me up late.”

The struggle between his career and home life is ever present. So much so that the musician fears regretting his choices one day.

“Each time, I promise to spend time with them when the album is done, but then things change. It gets very busy. I have to travel and network.

“I try to be with them on Christmas day, but then we are already booked. January is normally when there is time to be with my family.”

Despite his hectic schedule, Gazza and his wife Golden still found the time to welcome a newborn to the family.

This time around, Gazza says fatherhood just feels easy.

He describes himself as a man who doesnt care much about material things.

“My nanny at home is always cleaning up after me. You will hardly see me at a car wash. My car looks like an office, everything is everywhere!”

Reflecting on his initial fears at trying out the idea for his newest album, Messiah, Gazza says he was inspired at the notion of creating something that really speaks to the people.

“No one has ever done this before. No one has released an album like this. People wanted to listen and understand the concept,” he says.

“In my negotiations I always try to think of the people because that is what I stand for. I dont compromise on these standards, and that is how the KFCs Zula buckets deal was done. We looked into pricing and affordability for the people. I wanted it to represent what Gazza is all about.”

In an age of information overload, Sunrise is The Namibian’s morning briefing, delivered at 6h00 from Monday to Friday. It offers a curated rundown of the most important stories from the past 24 hours – occasionally with a light, witty touch. It’s an essential way to stay informed. Subscribe and join our newsletter community.