Mi Casa is one of South Africa’s most exciting and consistent success stories.

With a sonic uniqueness that has not only stood the test of time, but shaped South African dancefloors for the past decade, the band has gone from strength to strength with their Afro-Pop/House grooves and shown the world that nothing can keep positivity and a good formula down.

Now, ten years, countless awards and 5 albums later, the group has signed an international record deal with Afroforce1 Records and Universal Music Group, making them a priority act for their region.

Their brand new album 'We Made It' is a testament to a decade of raw pushing that saw this self-made success story emerge once again on top.

April 2020 saw a strong kick out the gate with the first single, “Church Bells”.

Released alongside a powerful video of a space-inspired traditional African wedding, the single immediately topped SA’s most played charts and firmly reminded audiences Mi Casa are leaders in their arena.

They have returned to South African airwaves with more determination, growth and relevance than ever before and fired up about dropping their 5th album at home, in the African continent and in Europe this July.

Aptly titled, 'We Made It' makes J’Something beam with happiness and speak about it as if it’s his newborn child.

He states, “We are completely re-energised with this record. It feels like we have emerged on another planet compared to where we were before we started the recording process.”

The band, with close musical companions such as producers Jay Em, spent 3 months writing from a house in Mpumalanga with no distractions, pushing through a tough time when the band was probably at its weakest in terms of spirit.

Amidst the rumours of break-up and song-writing apathy they emerged with an offering that leans more towards a ‘band act’ than the ‘club act’ they felt they may have been before.

Lyrically, J’ Something takes the helm as always. With love still remaining a strong lyrical undercurrent, there’s no doubt that this time the sex appeal is definitely riding high too.

The album is probably one of the smoothest Mi Casa offerings to date.

Tracks such as “Mamela” speak to the tender side of all of us as J aches for quiet time with his partner.

Vocally, it gives a definite nod to 90’s R&B, whilst smatterings of musical beach vibes bring the listener closer to that holiday.

“Obsessed” takes it right to the top with fire lyrics cradled in a sexy Latin-House beat.

“How Could You” is a gut-punch that speaks almost tangibly to anyone who’s ever been played in a relationship while party tracks like “Chucks” and “Love Everything about You” remind fans why this band is still on top of their game.

A stand-out track is without a doubt, ‘Eve’ – a deeper, socio-political look at the dark place we find ourselves in as mankind.

With a definite African angle to the lyrics, the sadness of the track is visceral and although perhaps not destined for dancefloor dominance without a remix, the sheer vocal mastery by J’Something, Mo’s melancholy pull of the trumpet and the slowed-down beat take the listener on a journey of awareness. In short, it’s pure fire.

Another stand-out track is ‘Home Alone’, featuring AKA. The song speaks to long distance relationships, longing, isolation and all the hard times people experience when being alone, much like what so many people have been experienced worldwide right now with the Covid 19 pandemic.

The 3rd July sees the official release of the album, as well as the second single, ‘Eve’. The band plans to support it with an exciting 9-province virtual tour and a host of other awesome digital content, until such time as they can perform live.

As a complete record one could be forgiven for feeling like they’re witnessing the blossoming evolution of their favourite OG’s.

Emerging the other side as a more mature, slick and sexy force of nature. Mi Casa has literally, never sounded so good.

Queen Cha real names Yvonne Mugemana is a Rwandan female artist, last year (2019) she was awarded as Rwanda's best female artist. She has also been a brand ambassador for Techno mobile.

Some of her hit songhs include, Romantic, Umwe Rukumbi, Question  among others.

In an exclusive interview with Ommy Dallah, the songstress reveals more about her music.

President Uhuru Kenyatta has warned against political interference in the forthcoming national roll out of the Kazi Mtaani youth employment program.

The President said the initiative was mooted to assist Kenyan youth whose livelihoods had been disrupted by the Covid-19 health crisis.

“The program will be free of any political interference. It’ll not be a process which politicians will use to get votes,” he cautioned.

The Head of State spoke today at KICC in Nairobi, at the close of a two-day training workshop on Kazi Mtaani for Regional and County Commissioners.

Following the successful pilot phase of the program, the national roll out of the youth employment initiative will start on Monday next week.

The President said the pilot phase of the intervention, which was conducted in eight counties, had been a major success.

“I had the opportunity to visit a number of sites where these young people were working and I saw the positive impact they had in terms of improving lives and protecting the environment of those who are the most vulnerable,” he said.

The Head of State regretted that similar interventions were in the past mismanaged and, directed Regional and County Commissioners to take full control of the program.

“Many of you will recall that a similar program was unfortunately abused. I have to be very clear with you, we will not entertain abuse this time around.

"It will be your direct responsibility to ensure that there is no abuse. It is for you to ensure that the money that comes to your regions is used properly and used for the intended purpose,” the President said.

President Kenyatta charged Regional and County Commissioners with the responsibility of ensuring transparency in the recruitment of the youth into the program.

He said beneficiaries of the Kazi Mtaani initiative should be identified purely on merit.

“Recruit people who are in need and not brothers, sisters or cousins. This money should only help the people who are in real need. The first test for you will be the recruitment," the President told the administrators.

In his remarks, Interior CS Fred Matiang’i reiterated the President’s message saying the national roll out of the program must meet the highest levels of integrity and transparency.

Dr Matiang'i observed that the pilot phase of the youth employment initiative had registered positive outcomes.

“So far, so good. We have had very positive reports from the field. The level of commitment, focus and effectiveness are very high.

But still, much more is demanded of us to go forward. It’s then upon us not to let the President down,” the Interior CS rallied the administrators.

Isaac Mbaji an electrical engineering student has decided to focus on his musical career despite the bashings which have risen from his haters and all the bumps he has already met on his way since he made the decision to focus on his talent.

The 21 years old trap hip-hop musician, also known as Black Snow has recorded several tracks and a video to be released this week. Aside from the confidence in his talent, passion has been the biggest motivation.

“Apart from being talented I’ve got true passion for music. I started  doing music in lower primary school  and I  did different types of music;  like I was part of a choir, I did  traditional songs , all in bid to know  better what music was really about. I have also studied music a bit so I understand the different music notations.  I have had great support from my parents my siblings, relatives, I mean everyone back at home that motivates me to never give up.” Shares Black Snow.

Despite the fact that he is not half way there, the young artists idolizes Kenyan Hip Hop Greatest of all time, Khaligraph Jones and even set him as the ultimate goal.

“My role model in music is KHALIGRAPH JONES!  The OG must be respected he is ma biggest role model I salute him having most of his tracks I get power to do it ma self. Of course given the chance I would like to do a collabo with the OG and Masauti Kenyan Boy,” he says.

 When he started doing music he set his own goals that he needed to achieve. Most importantly doing good music and being where he will be accepted. And the trophy being owning his own label some day.

“Having my own label means I will no longer worry about recording or video shoots that are a bit challenging to me right now. This way I can go international and maybe someday replace the OG,” Shares the up and coming artist.

His biggest challenges though, have been the expenses for the video shoots, which have forced him to delay most of the projects. He has also tried reaching out to some radio presenters to at least get some airplays but his efforts have not yielded to much. But as he says he has never dreamt of giving up. 

 By Ewoma Oyegwa

Voice acting is the art of using your voice to bring  words on a script to life.

You can do that by acting or creating a character, which is then referred to as a voice-over.

The voice is unseen, narrator speaking.

At some point, you might have heard some voice overs but you were unaware of it. 

You find professional voice overs on TV, radio, web commercial, infomercials, promos for Tv shows , e-learning, Games just to name a few.

Now, you have a good voice, you’ve heard people tell you that. Having a good voice is a gift

You can get into voice acting, how?

You will want to get trained to master the art.

In the beginning, you may feel weird acting out characters you’re not. That’s fine.

With constant practice and auditions for characters that similar to you, it will get better with time.

While at it, If there are areas of interests you wish to focus on, do so, then create demos, send them out and start getting jobs. 

Becoming a voice actor has many benefits.

Most voice actors work right from the comfort of their own homes using the internet and some basic recording gear. 

You have a flexible schedule, you can work full time or part-time, and it pays really well.

Ewoma Oyegwa Biography

Ewoma Oyegwa is a professional voice artiste, radio personality, television host, fashion model and creative producer/media personality.

Ewoma is the prestigious voiceover brand who has work with notable brands such as, Redbull, Quickteller, First Bank Nigeria, Jobberman, Shoprite among many others. 

With the use of her voice, Ewoma has had the opportunity to brand top radio and Tv stations across Nigeria through the means of station imaging for top TV stations such as TVC, views Channel, Coolfm Nigeria just to name a few.

She’s currently the host of the weekly music countdown show , Max World Chart show 102.3 Maxfm Lagos and 90.9 Maxfm Abuja, a co host of the Max World Chart Show on TVC and on as well as the one of the creative producers at Maxfm Nigeria. 

In the future, Ewoma hopes to anchor more events, Red carpet shows, tv and radio shows, learn new things, as well as share the knowledge she has gathered to enrich the world.

She enjoys doing voice overs, eating delicious food, traveling and listening to music. 

Ewoma’s goal is to put a smile on peoples face with her  fabulous personality, train aspiring voice over talents, travel the world and have her voice heard globally and top brands will be associated with the voice of royalty and success.

Ugandan Reggae dancehall Singer half of the Dynamic Radio & Weasel (Goodlyfe) Weasel is scheduled to drop his first album ever since he lost his partner Radio in 2018 the full album is expected to drop by end of July 2020.

Weasel is a household name in Uganda and East Africa’s entertainment with over 100 Million streams, Views and downloads.

Weasel releases his first single off the album, “BWOBAYO” .

The word, ‘BWOBAYO’ means ‘IF YOU ARE THERE’ in Luganda, Weasel’s local dialect.

‘Bwobayo’ is a romantic ballad inspired by a past experience, the track is very personal to weasel as it speaks to the fragility and vulnerability of love.

Weasel says, ‘I want all my fans to fall in love, dance, and be unafraid to express themselves when they listen to this song”. A hopeless romantic, He wants his fans to love without the limitations of ego.

https://youtu.be/UAtxXEHHq-s

Award-Winning Nigerian R&B Producer, singer and songwriter Praiz has just revealed his forthcoming EP Cover title and tracklist – To The Moon!

The EP, which is set for release  in the month of July 3rd, is cleverly titled To The Moon following the success of his most listened R&B album project ’King’ which was released last year. In his big reveal, Praiz has given his fans a preview of ‘To The Moon’  EP by also dropping the cover and  track list from the anticipated EP.

The EP  will host Five tracks all written and produced by Praiz (except the verses of the artists featured), mastered by MararaImixx and features Ice Prince, Niyola, DJ Obi (intro), Kingxn and M.I .

To The Moon is available for Pre-Order.

By Caleb Onyango

Psychologically, the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted our emotions, our thought processes and ultimately our behaviour.

It is wise that we take time to untangle and point out exactly what we are experiencing during this period and perhaps why we are feeling, thinking and acting certain in ways. Understanding this makes us aware of when we are triggered and are therefore able to regulate ourselves.

Washing your hands with soap and running water is critical and will protect you against the dreaded Covid-19. It is also important to practice social distancing to control the spread of the virus.

Governments around the world are implementing strategies to cushion citizens from the adverse economic effects of the pandemic. All these together with many other measures are going to go a long way to getting the society back to where it was after the pandemic is over, at least in terms of physical health and economic status. And that is obviously good news.

That said, it is important to consider the effects of the pandemic on mental health too. If not checked, these effects might create a new crisis on the state of the society’s psychological wellness that could last years, or even generations, way after the pandemic is over.

We are likely to experience a range of emotions. Sense of loss, not only of lives but also of jobs and income and loss of freedom. We are also prone to depression because of that feeling of hopelessness and despair and having to process this while not having normal day to day human interactions due to the need to maintain social distance. This also makes us vulnerable to loneliness. 

The pandemic has also affected how we think – the general functions of the brain. During this time, it will be normal to experience paranoia especially about having Covid-19 symptoms. Additionally, due to being high strung all the time, it is normal for us to become forgetful and experience mental fog, impaired concentration, be indecisive and even lack creativity, generally zapping our motivation to be productive.

As a result of the above and other emotional and cognitive experiences, our behaviour also does get affected as we consciously and subconsciously try to cope with effects of the pandemic in our lives. 

One of the ways, we might want to feel in control is by hoarding. In the face of much uncertainty stocking up beyond what we need, may be a sub-conscious way of feeling in control of ‘something’ in an out of control pandemic environment. We also experience or see in others, restlessness. This is what some parts of the world term as cabin fever, whose origin was that feeling of restlessness experienced when people have been snowed in for long periods during winter. This restlessness may make us vulnerable to bingeing on food, television, social media etc.

There is also likely to be an upsurge of drug and substance abuse for various reasons such as killing boredom or trying to cope with pandemic related stress. Conflicts are also likely to be observed among family members or even towards strangers.

It is normal to experience the emotional and cognitive responses to such a time as this of coping with the Covid-19 pandemic. That said, it is important to be aware of what one is experiencing and the reason for it as well as to know when to seek help if we find ourselves adopting harmful ways of coping as aforementioned.

The great news is, there are some healthy habits we can adopt so as to minimize the effect of the stress on their lives. Some of these habits that we at Makini Schools emphasise though our pastoral care programme include: 

• Maintaining normalcy in terms of schedule as much as possible but being flexible to adjust to a ‘new normal’ such as home schooling and working from home. Working from home and home schooling will take a while to get used to. It is helpful to designate different spaces in the home for different activities. For example, it is important to delineate the working and schooling spaces that are different from that of social activities or meals to help disengage one activity from the next injecting some energy.
• Checking in as a family will also go a long way in dealing with our emotions and run-away thoughts during this time. This can be done, for example during meal times creating a safe space to discuss what is particularly tough for each to cope with, but also a daily highlight.
• Maintaining a healthy lifestyle helps reduce stress and anxiety. Eat a balanced diet – practicing portion control, stay hydrated, get enough sleep and maintain an active lifestyle.
• There is abundant evidence of the positive correlation between constructive spirituality and mental wellness. Believing in a higher being provides a sense of peace and hope. Faith also provides meaning to the pain making it bearable, for example Christians may be looking at this pandemic as a way for God to reconcile humanity with Himself. Additionally, practices such as praying, meditating, listening to uplifting spiritual music all are helpful in reducing stress and anxiety.

Employing the above strategies may help us navigate this unprecedentedly difficult times. However, the effect of the pandemic may get overwhelming for some of us even after putting in their best effort to stay afloat. In the event that happens, it is prudent to talk to a professional counsellor and book an online session.

The writer is a Counselling Psychologist at Makini Schools.