2 minute read
THE TRIBE
#TheTribeExclusive Unapologetic Blossom Queen conquers the world
With her distinct voice that stands out as one of the best in Namibian music, Blossom has produced some of the most memorable songs in the land of the brave.
She is known to always be unapologetic and vocal and, staying true to her nature, she is just that in this red hot edition of #TheTribeExclusive.
In this interview, Blossom Queen talks about everything from her new music, her travels and the trials and tribulations of the Namibian music industry.
She caused some controversy when she posted social media comments that got her banned from the 2017 Namibia Annual Music Awards (NAMAs), but despite getting into trouble for her utterances she remains unapologetic. Asked whether she will ever apologise for what got her banned, her answer is simple: “I don’t think I have to say sorry. Sorry for what?”
As soon as the dust from that controversy had settled, Blossom set out on a journey of self-reflection by travelling the world. “It’s been a really awesome journey for me. Right after the awards, I focussed more on travelling, and on exposing myself to the outside world.”
Her travels took her to New York, California, Paris and China where she spent time on her own, meditated and reflected on her life. Her experiences in China, in particular, were so fulfilling that they inspired a new album and a renewed interest in the fashion business.
Blossom found China particularly enriching as a travel destination. For the first time she realised how diverse the country and its people are. “When you think of China you only think of Chinese people. But China is full of people from all over the world. In fact, one of the spots that I loved to hang out in is a Brazilian place where they have all these nice Latino sounds. So I was able to pick up a few nice international sounds”, the singer says.
New album, new sound:
The album Uvandje was launched in 2019 and features collaborations with vocalists such as Micheal Pulse, Salvador, Sergio, Taz, Admiral El, and Fistone.
“Uvandje has everything. I took a good four years off and really invested my emotions into this album”, she says and adds that the highlight of the production was the fact that she remained authentic to herself. The fact that she incorporated international sounds she was exposed to during her travels, will enable her to promote her music outside Namibia.
As she takes her music to the world, Blossom Queen’s roots remain firmly in Namibia. She hopes that the country’s music industry will grow to reach international standards. Her advice on how that can be fast-tracked is as follows: “We need to invest more. We need to invest more in terms of content, what we sing about, in terms of quality and in our visuals.”
Watch The Tribe on One Africa TV (GoTV 90, DStv 284, DStv Now, TV2Africa.com) every Friday at 21h30 and repeat shows on Wednesdays at 07h00 and on Saturdays at 17h30. Alternatively, listen to The Tribe on 99FM every Friday at 19h00, and follow The Tribe on Instagram @thetribenamibia and on Facebook @TheTribeNamibia.
