Welcome to this special edition of Hard Talk. Today, we have the pleasure of hosting Lloyd Kaisi Phiri, Chairperson for the renowned Chilobwe SDA singing group, Joyful Souls, based in Blantyre. Joyful Souls has recently released their highly anticipated single, “Anandifera.” Lloyd, thank you for joining us.
Lloyd: Thank you so much.
Twink: Lloyd, congratulations on the release of “Anandifera.” What inspired this single, and how does it reflect the group’s musical journey?
Lloyd: As a Gospel Music group, our inspiration always comes from the scriptures. This time around, it was particularly John 3:16-17 which says: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.”
However in the song, this bible verse is being told in a simple way that an ordinary musical ear can easily understand or relate to issues happening today in our daily lives.
In terms of our musical journey, we believe it reflects on the group’s growth because technically, in terms of the harmonic structure, it is something we have never done before. It’s a strange arrangement with some simplicity to allow even the children to sing along. Therefore, this song is marking a slight departure from the sound we have been associated with for some time.
This time around, we also tried our best to have a blend of Malawian/Afro and Western touches in one song. The latter can specifically be noted in our lead vocals, mainly in the choruses.
However, it has been done in a way that anyone playing the song globally will surely point to Africa, and Malawi in particular, as its origin.
Additionally, we have also incorporated some elements and tastes of both old and new generations or indeed the conservatives and the radical music minds. All that is aimed at accommodating the tastes of both young and old in this one piece.
Twink: Your group, Joyful Souls, has been around for some time. How do you maintain your relevance in the ever-changing music industry, especially in the gospel genre?
Lloyd: We always try to put all our eyes on the ground to ensure we notice any remarkable developments unfolding both on the local and international music scenes. With God’s guidance, this has enabled us to maintain this relevance; perhaps, to a certain extent, whenever we are producing new songs. Even when we are performing the old songs, we always try to make some changes to ensure they still appeal to the current music tastes.
Twink: How do you balance your faith with the commercial aspects of music, considering that gospel music is often expected to be non-profit driven?
Lloyd: In whatever we do; commercial aspects of music, inclusive, we always ask for God’s guidance. With such guidance, if the commercial interests are in collision with our faith, we drop them. We have done that for times without number, which Ofcourse, is not easy though. We therefore thank God for being with us in decisions we have been making over the years.
Twink: What sets Joyful Souls apart from other gospel groups in Malawi, and how do you envision your music impacting the local and international music scenes?
Lloyd: On what really sets Joyful Souls apart from other gospel groups in Malawi is something we have never thought of, because we believe that gospel music is primarily to there for purposes of ministering God’s work or word to the masses and bringing hope to the hopeless, among others, and not necessarily for setting the group apart from others. We are all doing God’s work.
We therefore expect that our music will continue to spiritually change people and bring hope to the hopeless.
Twink: “Anandifera” has received mixed reviews. Some critics argue that the song’s production quality is not up to par with international standards. How do you respond to these criticisms?
Lloyd: Well!! It is normal for people to look at things differently. Nothing wrong with that. Just to say this is one song on which we have spent more time and resources than ever before, just to ensure that its production quality is of international standards.
You can imagine its recording and production being done by OBK and Arthur Chidothe, who are two of the finest producers locally.
Later the song had to be mixed and mastered by one of the finest producers in the US Marcello Penell, who has produced a number or widely celebrated artists, including Brian MacKnight, Steve Wonder, Cece Winans, George Benson, Al Jarreau and Take 6.
With that, what else would you want. So if the production is not of international standards, in the view of some people ……well!!! We are in a free world where everyone sees things in their own different way. There is absolutely nothing wrong, whatsoever, with that.
Twink: Looking ahead, what are Joyful Souls’ plans for future projects, and can we expect collaborations with international artists?
Lloyd: As we speak, we are in the studio, cooking more songs for our fans. So they shld expect more singles to come before the end of this year, and at the start of next year. Most of these songs will be big surprises to our fans for they are collaborations with artists they might not have expected ever before. All these, is happening as we prepare for our 30th Anniversary Concert, to be organized next year
Twink: Lastly, what message do you hope listeners take away from “Anandifera,” and how do you see this single contributing to the group’s legacy?
Lloyd: It is simply a message of Hope to everyone, that after erring, God gave us a second chance, by allowing Jesus, his only begotten son, to die for us. Today, as ever before, He is ready to make us new, for His grace is sufficient.
So the message contained in this single is an emphasis and reminder of the message we, as a group/ministry, have been preaching to the masses through music.
