30 Mar 2017

Onalekitso Monnatsheko, famously known as 'Velast' in the entertainment circle, believes Presidential Contemporary Music Competition had made him a popular artiste around Botswana and Africa today.
The young and promising singer who started singing during his tender years at primary school says he would sing with his friends mimicking his musical heroes such as Odirile ‘Vee’ Sento and Franco Lesokwane.
The 25-year-old says the introduction of Presidential art competition was a blessing to young and talented young Batswana like him as it assisted them to grow and improve their talent.
Velast joined the competition in 2010 under a newcomer category and his group won the first stages of the competition held in Maun and was catapulted to the finals of the President’s Day Contemporary Music Competitions held in Gaborone where it got position four as well as a  P17 000 prize money under the Best Newcomer category.
This he says brought confidence and encouraged him to work even harder, adding that he further bought stage outfit and instruments with the money he won so as to meet the judges and stage requirements.
Further, he says the money also helped him to release his first ever album titled Tobetsa in 2012,
"My love of encouraging other young people through my music continued as my group volunteered to facilitate in a boot camp organised for junior schools in 2012 and also we performed during the rehabilitation workshops for young people involved in bullying, drugs, indiscipline, evasion of classes and at other fund raising activities around Maun," he said.
Velast says in 2012 and 2013, his group obtained position two in the Regional Presidential Contemporary Music Competitions and was elected the best in the New Comer category, scooping P5 000 in the process.
All these achievement motivated him to release his second album in January 2014 titled Sekorokoro.
This album he says did well in the market and to him personally as an artiste because the album motivated him to win the 2014 regional and national President’s Day Contemporary Music competitions and he walked away P25 000 richer that year alone.
The Maun born says his albums is mostly enjoyed by young people and this has put him in a good position to be involved in national campaigns such as safe male circumcision (SMC), road safety, HIV and AIDS and health related issues.
Velast says his group’s management has shown maturity and a sense of responsibility in responding to bookings and negotiating for performances at various occasions such as weddings, organisational retreats or parties and empowerment programmes for young people.
He also states that he managed to open his own recording studio called J.V.K Production, which he used to produce his second album, Sekorokoro.
The three-time best newcomer winner in the regional competition states that he managed to help two new comers to produce their albums in his studio and one of them scooped position three in the President’s Day Contemporary music competitions in Gaborone in 2014.
Velast says he graduated from the new comer live band in 2015 and he got position two in the regional competition and scooped P5000 prize money and in 2016 he also performed under live band and won position one at the finals in Gaborone pocketing P30 000.
He says in total since he joined the competition in 2010 he won P87 500 in prizes. He says the competition has moulded him into a responsible artiste who is able to assist other youth in Maun in terms of music development.
He also managed to strengthen his group in terms of purchasing of instruments and develop his newly established recording studio in order for him to remain relevant in the music industry. ENDS