Upclose with Singer/legal Practitioner Kanji

Known for the album she released almost ten years ago under the Sling Beats label featuring songs such as Mr Big Star and Chi Daddy, Kanji makes her return and this time with a gospel offering.

She is also a legal Practitioner who believes in the value and worth of education. The need to go to school cannot be over emphasized. When one is given an opportunity to learn and upgrade themselves, one must seize it with both hands. Education is power; it is the spring board from which one can be propelled to achieve great things. It is the foundation, the root from which excellence germinates and is built.

A strong believer in the worth and dignity of a woman.  Kanji is passionate about female role models who inspire a positive message especially on the younger generation. To build a sense of worth and self-esteem in the girls and women of this generation, a richness and fullness of character, that you do not have to conform to the latest trends, the bubblegum whims that toss you around and lead you to a place called nowhere. To restore the dignity and honour that was bestowed upon Eve and all the generations that flow from her. That to truly be loved and feel loved you must first have love for self. After all  it is that  ‘love your neighbour as you love yourself..” so then, love begins with love of self. Proverbs 31 is the definitive scripture of what or who a WOMAN is.

KAPA187:  You first came onto the scene with your hit singles “Mr. big star” and “Chi Daddy”. Having achieved that success, what prompted you to stop music in favor of furthering your education?

KANJI:  I wanted to pursue my profession as a legal practitioner and that demanded a lot of my time and attention. As a young advocate learning the ropes I found it increasingly difficult to do both the music and work so having invested so much in my school I thought it prudent to focus on my career.

KAPA187:  What would you say to successful artists who feel like they do not need a formal education because their talent is already sustaining them?

KANJI:  You always need education. It sets you apart and helps you to be a better thinker and ultimately a better person. You cannot deliberately decide to forgo your education. Given the opportunity I encourage all to put it as a priority.

KAPA187:   Being a female legal practitioner, what words of encouragement would you give to young women about venturing into seemingly male dominated industries?

KANJI:  I do not believe that anyone is limited in any way from doing anything based on their gender provided that the opportunity is presented to them. Women are capable of taking up professional roles and leadership roles previously thought to be the premise of men. I do not place a limitation on what I can and cannot do.

KAPA187:   What made you decide to get back to music?

KANJI:  My faith. I am a Christian and I felt increasingly in my heart that God had given me the gift and ability of music for a reason. That is not something that I should hide or throw away and to do so is an affront to my maker who in his infinite wisdom saw it fit to bless me in this way. Not for my own acclaim or for fame but to his glory. So that people can see how big, how awesome and amazing God is. In a nutshell, I could not live a completely fulfilled life if I could not do this thing which is very much a part of who I am.

KAPA187:  Your comeback release was called “Zanga”, which is a wonderful album, with its gospel influenced afro-pop/R&B sound. Being away from music for a long time, was it difficult to record the album? And what prompted the new direction in your music, as opposed to going back to what originally made you famous.

KANJI : Thanks I am grateful that you like the album. So the reason I came back to it is basically for the reasons already stated in my answer to question 4 above. When I took a break I really just stopped and even though I missed it I did not see myself coming back to it. If I was not singing music to glorify God, I would not be doing this music again.

KAPA187:  Two songs I really love on the album are “Nidaliseni” and “Intungulushi”. What was the concept behind those two songs?

KANJI:  Nidaliseni is based on the story of Jacob when the bible in Genesis depicts him as having wrestled with God and he said to God “I will not let go unless you bless me.” Its an inspiring account of Jacob’s strength, his faith and resilience even in a situation of great hardship. He did not let go of God infact the harder his circumstances became the harder he clung to God. And in the end God rewarded his faith by pronouncing a blessing upon him.

Intungulushi is a song about living a Christ led life.  Acknowledging that Jesus Christ is our saviour, he is the shepherd of our faith and our leader in all things.

KAPA187:   Gospel music that has a “Secular” sound to it has been criticized as not being “true gospel music”. What is your take on that?

KANJI:  all music has genre and category I suppose. Depending on what you like to listen to, sometimes even your mood and temperament it will dictate whether you  listen to praise and worship or something more up tempo. There’s gospel hip hop that ministers to people and carries a lot of meaning and depth, it just depends. Some people prefer hymns, some like the music to have some soul in it, others like it to sound contemporary.  It all depends.

The essential message of the music must be the gospel itself that is what defines the music and art of gospel music. I realise I may not have answered the question the way you may have hoped but I believe I have made my point.

KAPA187:   Apart from being a singer/performer and legal practitioner you are also an entrepreneur running your own business. How do you manage to keep things balanced?

KANJI:  “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.”

Yes I take that scripture very literally. When you enjoy doing what you do it doesn’t actually feel like a big stress on your time. You just make time. Besides I prefer figuring out how to manage all the things I have to do in the time I have available as opposed to not having anything to do with my time. That is just the type of mind that I have.

KAPA187:   You are an inspiration to many young people. Do you take time to talk to /mentor some youths about entrepreneurship and utilizing their God given talents?

KANJI:  I do, but probably not as much as I should.  Moving forward I intend to do more mentoring and getting more speaking engagements so that I am able to share some of my experiences beyond the music.

KAPA187:   This year you have been working with Proflight as one of the brand ambassadors in their Fly 5 campaign. How has the experience been, what have you learnt from it.

KANJI:  Being a brand ambassador is definitely a plus and does a lot for my portfolio not just as an artist but as a personality. I think that the Proflight Fly5 campaign is a commendable initiative and I can only hope that more corporate entities will see the value of working with the arts in a mutually beneficial partnership. I have had a worthwhile experience so far, in that on the one hand I get an opportunity to promote our very own local airline and on the other hand I get a platform to expose who I am to a potentially new demographic of people.

KAPA187:   Having been around the country with Proflight, what have you observed in regards to Zambians tourism potential.

KANJI:  Its definitely immense. There is so much that Zambia has to offer. I had an opportunity to go to South Luangwa National Park to shoot our first video for the song Zambian Skies and it was breath takingly beautiful.

KAPA187:   Musically, what do you have in store for your fans this year?

KANJI:  I have every intention of releasing more music. I will be getting back into the studio . I have been doing a lot of writing and basically spending my time meditating and trying to tap into what God’s plan is for me musically and specifically for this next record.

KAPA187:   Any last words

KANJI: Just thank you for the opportunity I appreciate you taking the time out to do this interview. And to everyone who has supported me and been with me on this journey I say thank you. None of this would mean much without you all. God bless

Mr Big Star

Nidaliseni

Intungulushi

Brand new

BY KAPA187