Namibian rapper and medical doctor La-Toya ‘Lioness’ Hamutenya says pursuing a career in music while practising medicine has required discipline, resilience and long hours, but insists passion made it possible to succeed in both fields.
The 32-year-old artist, who has recently stepped away from commercial music to focus on her family and medical career, says she was repeatedly told early in her career that she would have to choose between music and medicine.
“Duality taught me that it’s definitely okay to try out new things simultaneously, but it definitely taught me that you need to be able to put in almost double the work quite literally,” Lioness says.
She says managing two demanding careers meant enduring sleepless nights, uncertainty and constant pressure, but adds that resilience helped her navigate those challenges.
A turning point came with the release of her album, ‘If Not In This Life’, which coincided with becoming a mother.
While motherhood is often viewed as an obstacle to women’s careers, Lioness says it strengthened her determination to succeed.
“You will go through a transitional stage and you will feel a bit stagnant in the times where you have to care for that little child. What you need to understand is that it isn’t permanent. The child will grow. Your career will flourish. It’ll take a different direction, and most times a better direction. Allow yourself to live in the season that you are in,” she says.
She says creative professionals are often accustomed to working continuously, making it difficult to slow down after having children. However, she believes it is important to embrace each stage of life rather than resist it.
Before taking a step back from the industry, Lioness reached one of the biggest milestones of her career with the hit ‘Omapiyano’, which was a collaboration with Gazza.
Recorded in just two hours, the song was intended to be a light-hearted, feel-good track rather than an emotionally driven rap record. Its music video went on to surpass one million views on YouTube and was followed by her receiving the icon to Africa award.
Reflecting on those achievements, Lioness says they reinforced her belief that success comes with patience.
“For most of my career, I’ve just been going, going, going, I never, not once, had a moment to just look back and be like, hey, take a rest,” she says.
She says the physical demands of maintaining that pace eventually convinced her to step away from releasing music commercially.
Although she continues to record music in her home studio, Lioness remains undecided about whether those songs will ever be released.
She has also left the door open for selected creative projects.
The rapper says she may still collaborate with other artists, perform live, pursue fashion ventures, undertake philanthropic work and continue writing songs for other musicians.
For now, however, her priorities have shifted.
After spending a couple of years in the public eye, Lioness says she is focusing on raising her family and practising medicine, choosing to engage with the creative industry on her own terms.
