Tsar Leo, Purple C misses out on UMP line-up

Malawi’s highly regarded and probably youthful artists of the moment Tsar Leo and Purple C have not been included on the line-up of performers to light up Urban Music People (UMP) events scheduled for November.

A recently released list of musicians by the organisers, overlooks the two motion movers in the music industry, whose chart topping hits have enveloped the airwaves.

However, this publication understands that organisers have their own standards which determined their choices for this year’s fiesta. The two day happening will see some artists taking to the UMP stage for a 3rd consecutive year.

According to a statement released by Nde’feyo Entertainment, a total of 19 musicians who master different genres have been shortlisted for the UMP Awards and Festival on 18th and 19th November respectively.

The award ceremony slated for Bingu International Convention Centre (BICC) in Lilongwe will be spiced up by Lulu, Piksy, Bucci, Theo Thompson, Hazel Mak, and Malinga Mafia.

A day later, the commercial capital will host the festival at Blantyre Sports Club.

The festival will be decorated by live performances from Sonye, Gwamba, Martse, Saint, Street Fame, Tuno, Charisma, Rita, Hilco, Episods, Pinky Ice, JJC, and Suffix.

As a sign of satisfaction with the chosen artists, Nde’feyo Entertainment director Ken Limwamwe popularly known as Zizwa expressed confidence in the line-up.

“Both events have good combination of artists to give the audience a treat they always expect from UMP. We are confident they (artists) will deliver considering that some of them have performed for bigger audiences before, and for others it will be a challenge to cherish,” he said.

Another issue that has raised concern is low female representation. Only 5 of the 19 artists that have been given the nod to perform at the events are female. These are Rita, Hilco, Tuno, Hazel Mak, and Pinky Ice.

Disregarding the debates on who should have been picked, the UMPs are Malawi’s biggest urban music events.

They are aimed at celebrating local talent.