Gifted vocalist Alfred Hipandulwa, also known by his stage name Kingslee, recently released his third studio album ‘Kukuta’, which he believes will be inspirational.
The album “persists in any situation to move with time, embrace any moment cold or warm, and tackle all situations in life,” he says.
The young artist hails from Kamanjab and says the album describes some of the situations he personally experienced with show promoters undermining him and fellow musicians, or not giving them a platform to perform at their shows, as well as the hardships he went through while promoting his music.
The 13-track album features different genres and stays true to a classic sound while striving to keep up with the current generation.
“I try to catch up with the oldies too, a few amapiano songs, and of course, my genre which is Afro-pop and Damara punch,” says Kingslee.
Popular tracks on the album include ‘Kukuta’, an Afro-kwaito song that exhorts listeners to push on despite obstacles.
Another is ‘Arob Di gôa’, a Damara punch song.
He also included old classics ‘Centre’ and ‘Nale’ to evoke a sense of nostalgia for the older generation, he says.
Afro-pop singers King Dio, Fexy Boy and Kajuh from Tsumeb are among the musicians who feature on the album, as does Outlaw Ozil, a brilliant up-and-coming singer.
“I proudly worked with only Kamanjab-based upcoming artists to blend them in the music industry as I want us all to be at the mainstream level,” says Kingslee.
Producer Lanny Boy created, mixed and mastered the entire album.
“In comparison to my prior albums, I put my all into this one because I’m developing musically and gaining a sizeable fan following every year. I think I’ve gone so far that there’s no stopping now. I can work with any beat, I have stage presence, and I urge show organisers to have me perform at their events so that my music may be marketed and promoted nationally,” he says.
Kingslee began playing music at a young age while attending Cornelius Goreseb High School at Khorixas.
“I have been mastering the music industry for the past few years, blending in and working on my own style of music – making it unique in the Namibian industry, with a fusion of rap and pop. I believe music is art and you have to be creative to work on any genre of music,” he says.
