Author: Mazuba Kapambwe

Award winning Afro-pop band “Freshly Ground ” is back on the music scene with a fresh new album called “Radio Africa”,which was released on May 1st.The seven member band which hails from various Southern African countries including South Africa,Mozambique and Zimbabwe are currently on a global tour promoting their latest offering,which they describe as “more raw,more african and cohesive..”.

From the sound of their first single “Fire is Low” one can sense that there is less of a pop sound ,which the band says was intentional.This  new direction  is very different from their previous offerings Ma Cherie and Nomvula;the latter which contained “Doo -bee -doo”the hit that introduced them onto the music scene  and led them to win an MTV “Best African Award” in 2006.

“Our albums have been quite eclectic .Do be doo was so big ,and we almost never put it on the record.Nobody in the band felt that it was a turning point ,which is was” said drum player Peter Cohen.The  themes of  love and relationships  are present in the songs “The  Dream of Love” and “Would you Mind” ,which chronicles the uneasiness of relationships.Politics are also referenced in the song “Big Man” which highlights  the increase of consumerism and material pollution.

Fans seem to embrace the new sound ,as in only two weeks,10,00 albums have been sold.In addition ,their “Waka Waka” song with Colombian artist Shakira has been picked up as the official world cup song beating out K’naans “Waving Flag” and Akons “Oh Africa”.The lead singer Zolani Mahola has also been confirmed to judge the new season of South African Idols .

With gigs at various African Festivals in Switzeland,Germany,France ,Swaziland and South Africa,the band has prooven that they make music that appeals to an international audience.No dates have been set for the US yet ,although they did perform in Washington DC and Brooklyn last summer.

Fans have embraced the bands new sound  and showed their support by purchasing 10,000 albums in two weeks .

\”Fire is Low\”Freshly Ground

Behind the Scenes of \”Waka Waka\”

He just started modelling about a year ago but Sierra-Leonian model, Salieu Jalloh, has already worked with major companies from Sean John to United Colors of Benenton, and, with a role in “Model City“,  on BET Centric, his fame is definitely going to increase.

According to the network,”Model City” is a show that ” takes an up-close look at the world of black male models. The reality series follows the lives of four Black and Latino male models of RED Model Management NY, as they work to make a name for themselves, while dealing with the various challenges of “making it” in the female- dominated modeling industry.

Models Wendell Lissimore, Ibrahim Baaith, Nelson Nieves, Salieu Jalloh, Zeric Armenteros, and Henry Watkins grant viewers exclusive access into their fast-paced lives, and their never-ending 24/7 grind to become fashion’s elite faces.

“Model City” documents the contrast of model’s glamorous runway lifestyles with the realities of being a black model; less jobs, more competition, as well as the general struggle to stay on top of the game while handling rejection, exhausting schedules, jealous girlfriends, and the personal insecurities that can come along with the job”.

A day before the world witnesses the beginning on the one month FIFA soccer world cup that will be  held on African soil for the first time ,a 3 hour concert  that could feature performances from Beyonce,Jay Z among other artists will be held in South Africa.

According to a recent press release,the  event will take place on June 10 2010 at the newly  rebuilt Orlando stadium and  will celebrate the  “  music, sport and visual pageantry of South Africa”.The soccer world governing body FIFA  have employed Kevin Hall,the  producer  behind the emmy winning  Live 8 concerts to stage the event which is predicted to draw in  about 5 billion viewers globally.

When asked about challenges that may be faced by staging a concert of such prestige ,Wall was quoted as saying ,

“Going into Africa during the World Cup will present a huge amount of logistics, like figuring out local transport, flights, hotels, all the stuff that a year ago people already reserved.Still, how often do you get to work on an Olympics or a World Cup?”

He further went on to say ,

“We’re really trying to highlight football and the cultures and colour and music of Africa so you will see a lot of great international artists. I think this will be one of  the greatest shows ever produced for Africa“.

Other celebrities that may headline the concert include the Black Eyed Peas ,Yolanda Soares , football legends and a host of african musicians that have yet to be named,although there is speculation that senegalese artist  Akon may make an apperance as he is performing at the opening game between South Africa and  Mexixo  .Somalian lyricist K’naan whose song “Waving Flag is the official 2010 Soccer World cup  theme song may also be in attendance.

Tickets for the concert will go on sale in January 2010 and all net proceeds will go towards the “20 Centers for 2010″ which aims to  build 20 centers around Africa that will offer basic education and healthcare services as well as provide football training for disadvantaged communities.