One of Malawi's most celebrated Afro-R&B singers Masiye Kasaru has released a single gospel track which he says is giving to his fans for free as a Christmas gift because of their continued support.
Maskal, as he is better known, says the vernacular song titled Wabadwa or He is Born is currently available on social networks like Facebook and You Tube where it can be downloaded.
Maskal also says he plans to issue the song on a CD so to be distributed free to his fans.
He is Born, which is a fusion of afro pop and reggae, was done in collaboration with the country’s reggae band Black Missionaries.
He says the four-minute-long single is not for Christmas season alone but can also apply to any situation because “it teaches people to appreciate the love of Jesus Christ all the time”.
“It’s a song whereby one can relate to, especially, when we face struggles in life," he said. "I was taking it in a direction of [some has been born] who you can depend on. So one can play that song even if it’s not Christmas”, he says.
He says idea of coming up with the tune was reached when he was thinking about what he would do for his fans for Christmas.
“It is like a token, a thank you," he says, "to those who have been supporting me all along by buying my CDs, tapes and attending my live performances."
Maskal says the driving force behind his success is hard work. He says in life one can achieve whatever they like if they work hard.
He says his role models are those who dedicate their works to charity. In this case, he singles out an American R&B musician Akon as among those he admires especially for the orphanage centre he has established in his home country, Senegal.
“And on my part I do a lot of charity shows, and that’s what I want to do most next year because I feel there a lot of kids in orphanages," he says . "They dream of being musicians but they don’t have the chance. So I believe they need a lot of motivation and interaction with people like us so that they can be motivated and have a hope that they can also do it."
Maskal, a winner of the Best Male Vocal award at the 2011 Malawian Music Awards, says he is planning to go international in the near future.
“I want to make sure that my next album is distributed in the southern African countries like Zambia so that people out there should know that there is Maskal in Malawi," he says.
