If Artists Don’t Grow Financially, They Won’t Grow Musically – Marvtown

Award-winning ma /gaisa star Marvtown, baptised Mervin Claasen, is an artist who has set his sights on success.

Although only gaining popularity after winning season one of the annual Next Ma /Gaisa Star competition in 2021, the Windhoek-born performer has been around the entertainment scene for a while.

“I spent a part of my life, three years to be exact, at Arandis during my teen years and I spent another four years at Otjiwarongo before returning back to the city. I started singing in primary school and church choirs,” Marvtown says.

“I love music, or rather the entire performing arts, so much. I don’t limit my talent to music. I do a broad variety of arts like acting, clowning, impersonation, and I’m also very comfortable on the dance floor. I am a performer.”

During his teen years, Marvtown and a few school friends started an a cappella group called Music Comes Monday (MCM) at Arandis. After he moved to Otjiwarongo, his teacher, Donatus, played the piano and asked him to sing along to the pop songs he played.

“Gowing up I made a few attempts to enter the music scene but the industry is very cruel to newcomers and you have to work extremely hard to be recognised. I think I also listened to a lot of advice that did not contribute a lot to my growth,” he says.

“I worked a lot with artists behind the scenes, especially the established ones, guiding them how to perform. I’m actually a professional scriptwriter and I started a dance group known as Hozala’s Finest and we mostly do promotional campaigns for companies through dance.”

Marvtown, who formed the group in 2010, says he owes his rapid rise to one of the country’s most sought-after artists. He also thanked Welwitschia Music Production, organisers of the Next Ma /Gaisa Star competition, for giving him the opportunity to enter.

He says winning the Next Ma /Gaisa Star competition created a lot of opportunities for him.

“To tell you the truth, I don’t know what else I could have done to impact the Namibian music scene the way I did by winning the Next Ma /Gaisa Star competition. I can’t thank Steven !Naruseb enough for his guidance during and after the competition,” he says.

“Honestly speaking, I am someone who loved Damara punch music long before the genre was converted into modern-day ma /gaisa music. But I was also hooked to the slow jams and old-school R&B sounds of R Kelly and Michael Bolton.”

The star had a chance to perform overseas in Finland following an invitation from the Finnish Mission in Namibia.

He says he is in the process of recording his first studio album, which is about 65% complete.

“This is actually my second album, but I am saying first because my debut album, ‘/Nurisen’, was under Welwitschia Music Production. It formed part of my contract after I won the Next Ma /Gaisa Star competition and I didn’t work independently on it,” he explains.

“This new album I am working on is 65% done and it is my own making as an independent solo artist. A few songs still need mixing and I still have to record three or four more songs. I am working with some of the biggest producers in the Namibian industry on this one.”

Marvtown says it is going to be “a very dangerous album,” adding that he has roped in ma /gaisa music maestro Ou Stakes, who is directing most of the songs, Carlo on the Beat and renowned creative Patrick ‘P-Flat’ Thaniseb of Desert Tunes Productions.

He also has a few collaborations with Ou Stakes, Swart Baster, Staika and Dixon, adding that his many collaborations are inspired by creating different sounds.

Meanwhile, the ‘/Urisen’ hitmaker is one of the country’s busiest artists and only he knows where he gets the energy to perform weekend to weekend.

“My schedule can be really crazy sometimes. Take last weekend for instance. I was booked for the Telecom promotional event at Swakopmund on Friday during the day, then I had to rush to Otjimbingwe for the Omema warm-up show during the evening,” Marvtown says.

“In between spending most of my time recording and fine-tuning my upcoming album, I will also feature in the Ma /Gaisa Meets Oviritje-The Best of Both Worlds Music Concert slotted for this month and the Ore-Aob //Khoab Music & Donkey Meat Festival.”

He describes himself as a perfectionist who dislikes giving half-prepared performances to audiences who spent their hard-earned money to attend shows.

“First of all, I am a proud ma /gaisa boy. I always make sure that I give my all during a show and make sure my audience stays entertained and happy because that is my job as a performer. I’m that type of artist that makes people want to jump up and dance,” Marvtown notes.

“I am someone who believes that a person has to sacrifice a lot and get people to love and respect you for your craft before expecting praise. Today, one-hit wonders consider themselves superstars already and demand superstar treatment from event organisers.”

The musician, who describes himself as a proud father, believes the country has many artists with lots of potential, but its small population remains a detrimental factor towards growth.

Marvtown explains: “Despite the fact that we have a lot of artists with potential, there are a couple of disadvantages: Our small population and the lack of support from corporate Namibia towards musicians. Today we attract 1 500 people to a show and claim success.

“Those are numbers that our counterparts from neighbouring countries attract at high school events. We are just impressed by many people who hardly cover the funds you have invested into logistics. The corporate partners should show full support for growth.”

Marvtown advises Namibians to create a culture of ownership, take pride in their identity and start supporting their own.

“There is currently a lot of foreign influence because our people are not proud of their culture no matter the tribe. Our artists can release quality music but the best studios are too expensive. If our artists don’t grow financially, they will not grow musically as well. With adequate support, the studios will acquire quality equipment because our artists will be able to pay,” he says.

“The music industry is an all-inclusive whole circle because producers are also artists. My fellow artists, especially the upcoming ones, should be consistent. Market yourself and even perform for free if need be as long as you design platforms to be seen to stay relevant.”

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