24 Apr 2014

Bafenyi Petso is a man on a mission. The dikhwaere singer is out to change the landscape and fortunes of this genre that has so far been playing second fiddle to the more established cultural renditions such as borankana, setapa and phathisi.

He has every reason to be confident when listening to his album Re Mengala. He might be onto something right there. With songs such as Kgalagadi and  Tlhalosa Mfana rocking his fans the right way, he felt he was making the right strides to being ‘the top artiste of the genre and he would so much love to conquer the international market’.

The man with the curious stage name of RraNtšanyana was unfazed by what he already knew as a tough industry to crack. He said he was there for the long haul as he was working on entrenching himself among music lovers across the country.

That moniker – derived from his passion as a breeder of poodles – have all the right tones when he wants to be as determined as he was creative to make it above all else.  He has had his fair share of disappointments.

With this album, being his first offering as a solo artist, he felt he had done all he could do to make it a quality product. He said so far he was happy with the airplay it has been receiving on local radio stations; giving him that exposure he craves to change minds about this genre.He said this would serve him well.

He noted that he had accumulated enough experience in the industry through collaborations with other artistes who have imparted knowledge and advice that he could only be grateful for.

He had walked with other giants of the industry such as Shumba Ratshega and learnt his talents to other genres such as gospel and house kwasa.  His first venture in the studio was as a duo that yielded an album that, according to him, had not performed to expectations due to cooperation issues between him and his partner.

But it was still out there with people still asking for it. Nor had it deterred him from forging forward then; on his own. This current offering has done well in the market, so far.

By December 2013, he had cut close to 500 units that were quickly taken up by consumers. From January 2014 to the current date, another 200 have flown off the shelves. He prepared for the Easter holidays.

During the dikhwaere season, he would be marketing this same album to the hilt.  They have recently completed the shooting the videos for all the songs in the album and were currently finishing up the editing.

He was hopeful that it will be ready for the market by end of this month. He was waxing lyrical about the director of the shoot, Mr Bathusi Gabosianelwe, who he described as ‘one of the best, if not the best, at what he does’.

He stated that his fans were in for a big treat once the video DVD comes out. The 28-year-old from Bobididi jwa ga sekgwa ward in Molepolole said what he offers as a value proposition would be the content and context of his songs.

He explained that what set him apart was the message he wants to share in his songs; not just the entertainment bit. He said he chose dikhwaere because it is what he has talent for.

He had dallied with the other genres such as gospel and house kwasa but found his comfort zone in this one. That is why he has been supporting himself financially to realise this dream of his. He had not entered the annual National Arts Competitions as yet as he had had some challenges.

He hopes someday he will enter as he sees them as an opportunity and platform to market himself. He said he gets bookings to perform at weddings, parties and any other social events where he gets to showcase his talent.

This ‘karate kid’ enjoys sparring at the gym in the afternoons where he gets to share his other passion with children who want to learn the sport.

He is also into farming but when he gets down on the dance floor to show just how good and passionate he is about what he does, there is that burning sensation in those dikhwaere steps, alright. ENDS