24 Jun 2020

Botswana Music Union Vice Chairperson, Phemelo Lesokwane has urged musicians not to give up on their dreams due to the inhibiting challenges stemming from COVID-19 pandemic.

In an interview with BOPA on June 23, he noted that COVID–19 had negatively affected the upcoming artistes and the music industry at large, as album releases, launches and music shows were suspended due to extreme social distancing.

Lesokwane said it was a norm for the new artistes to gain exposure through public performance and other social gatherings. He said due to the suspension of public activities some artistes were experiencing  financial constraints hence they could not continue with recordings, video shootings and other related activities.

Marketing is also compromised, hence it might be difficult for them to crack the music circles.

 Lesokwane advised that while waiting for the situation to fully return to normal, social media could help them gain exposure.

“We are fully challenged because of this pandemic, but that does not mean one should  just fold arms.

Any positive means that can benefit individuals should be tried as this will help them sail through while waiting for a full normalcy,” he said.

 Lesokwane further encouraged the new artistes and aspirants not to sit back, but use this period to sharpen their skills and canvass for relevant advice from seasoned artistes.

“Some of the new artistes still struggle to come up with appealing content, subject and sound mix therefore I wish they could always seek relevant advice before recordings,” he noted.

Furthermore he noted that artistes should not only be concerned with releasing many albums in a short period of time.

Instead he said they should always strive to come up with competitive work that will appeal to the audience.

Meanwhile Lesokwane said BOMU had no contingency plan to cushion members during this pandemic.

However he expressed gratitude towards Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture Development’s subsidy as such would aid some of the youth, adding that beneficiaries were those who had registered to participate in the Presidential Competitions. ENDS