Benson back with Jive Afrika special edition
Benson Phuthego is working on something that promises to give his fans value for their money. Always looking for ways that can sell his brand while at the same time satisfying those who follow his music, his latest project comes at a time when fans were wondering about his whereabouts.
The winner of the Best New Comer and Best Folklore awards in the 2012 Botswana Musicians Awards (BOMU) is scheduled to repackage his second album that was released in 2012 titled Jive Afrika. The repackaged album will see him adding four new inspirational songs to it. Ever creative, he decided to prep the four new songs adding them to the old album, under a new name, Jive Afrika Special Edition. The old album had tracks such as Bula, Anthem, Jive Afrka, Sananapo, Photshana and Tobokani.
He explained that Jive Afrika was his present to the people who have stood by him during his journey including his fans who keep rendering him their loyal support. In an interview with this publication, he disclosed that his love for folklore music inspired him to write the inspirational songs.
In the new songs, he talks about life and the many experiences that individuals might go through. The four new songs, are Peacock, an Acapella version that shines light on the beauty and elegance of the bird that can live up to 25 years. The bird is also loyal to one partner. “What I am trying to say in the song is that there are lots of things that human beings can learn from the bird, and that they should be like the bird,” he said.
The second song Pula, talks about rain and its significance to Batswana, while Sweet Life has a tinge of Latin and Samba feel to it. And lastly, Tlholwe, is the famous folklore story of Tlholwe. He uses it to teach his fans about survival, and how one can use the different challenges that they go through to survive. “The song is about beating the odds,” he said. He added the songs to repackage the old album, which he said is an international practice used by many musicians. He is presently working on the final touches in the album, and will be done with everything mid July.
He will then host the media in a listening session, where they will get to sample the product. Phuthego said that his fans are always pestering him about releasing the next album, but that he felt it didn’t make business sense for him to return to the studio and work on a new album. He is scheduled to shoot four videos from the album. He also revealed that he will return to Kenya again this year at the invitation of the Botswana Embassy and the Story Moja festival. Last year, he was invited by the Embassy for the Independence celebrations. This time around, he is returning to Kenya by popular demand. In his work as a Folklore artist and poet, he is inspired by the likes of Ratsie Setlhako, Mzwakhe Mbuli and Ponatshego Mokane.
