THOUGH I am a preacher, and not a big fun of secular music, I still trust my tastes for good music in general.
Looking at musician, Mbilia Bel’s pictures during her show in Lusaka leaves me wondering if she has changed her style of music.
Although she was born in 1959, she seems to want to grow younger and that is very good for her. But her body expose’ in dances may be too much for the Congolese song bird.
She is well known as a refined mature performer but I think this time her show revealed too much which may not be appealing to music lovers who have good ears and eyes for mature music.
The once renowned Africa’s first female transcontinental diva seems to be falling into the trap of the more you expose your body the more sexy, popular, and sellable you become. But mama Mbilia Bel must avoid that approach and maintain her mature class of the likes of South African Miriam Makeba.
Though it seems teenage music has taken over the Zambian music industry, our musicians must realise that they have failed to reach the mature audience.
In fact, it is the mature audience which has the money, and does not buy pirated CDs. Therefore, sing mature music to reach the vast mature market, and help curb piracy as a result.
WILLIE NYENDWA,
Ndola.
