20 Aug 2017

From his heydays of Ola Kasi, Sekukuni, Letlhale, Taku Taku, among his many hits over the years, one could tell that Odirile Sento, aka Vee was destined to be a mover and shaker in the entertainment industry and 15 years on he has transcended into an astute businessman with his first love being music still intact.

The down-to-earth music star broke into local music circles in 2002 with his debut album dubbed, Lamalanga and he has not looked back ever since and has stood the test of time.

Having recently released the I Do album last year, many people felt it would be too soon for Vee to be releasing another album this year, but that is what he has done and a select few had the chance to see the new video to his Champion song, which is also the title of his new album.

Speaking at the event, Vee said he released the I Do album last year August and that it was a good album, but the main reason he rushed to release another one was that he felt the I Do album did not give people the real him.

“The I Do album had a lot of features and they had an influence on my music. When you work with someone you have to understand that it is not about you only and I compromised a lot working on that album. So I was really waiting for the year to elapse so I could make my own album that reflects who I am,” he said.

Taking the audience through the process of making this album, Vee said throughout his career, 2017 was his busiest ever.

“I think it was around April this year and we went on tour with Orange Botswana and after that I did the Safe Male Circumcision campaign and at the back of my mind I knew that I wanted to release an album,” he said, adding that since Universal was forcing him to use an international producer, he opted for Trademark.

“What I did was I hired a lodge for three weeks to a month and put these guys in there. So what happened, was I was doing these tours and then going back and forth to the lodge to work on my album. The things I used to see on TV about international artists having mobile studios and I felt it was unnecessary, know I saw how necessary it was,” continued Vee.

Vee indicated that working on the album was a beautiful experience nonetheless.

He said the album is very hyper and has his identity of his beliefs being the Lord Jesus.

“I am not ashamed to say I love the Lord Jesus Christ and that has been established in the past,” he said.

The video that Vee premiered, he indicated that Universal gave him a budget of P40 000 and he agreed to it, but personally he knew that he could not compete with other established artists in South Africa with such a budget.

“This video cost P250 000 and it the most expensive video that I have ever done. It a risk I took for my career and I have to compete with other international artists. I took my own personal money to work on the video,” said Vee.

Vee thanked Orange Botswana for the support they have shown him over the years and their continued working relationship.

“Thank you for taking care of a brother. It is not every company that supports music and it is so difficult to convince companies to support music, but Orange, for years and years they have been supporting artists among others Scar and O'neal,” he concluded.

For her part, director of corporate affairs at Orange Botswana, Lepata Mafa-Nthomola said they were proud to be associated with Vee.

“He is somebody who truly embodies the values of Orange Botswana and he continuously rebrands himself to stay relevant to his craft and he is a true ambassador of Orange Botswana,” he said.

She said Orange Botswana was honoured to have collaborated with Vee to launch his latest music video appropriately titled, Champion.

Mafa-Nthomola said Vee’s passion and commitment towards his craft along with business acumen remain unmatched.

“He is a true inspiration to all of us and not only to those in the music industry. He is testament to the saying hard work pays. When you are slaving and hustling, you know eventually you will get there,”' she said, adding that Orange Botswana was proud to continue playing a part in Vee’s journey.

“Not only will we continue to play a part in his growth and progression, but in the growth and development of culture and music as a whole in Botswana,” she said.

The music video features South Africa’s very own Somizi Mhlongo and Dr Malinga. ends