Joe Thomas line up unveiled

An impressive line-up for the muchanticipatedJoe Thomas Live showto be held on the 6th of July, at GaboroneInternational Convention Centrein Gaborone has been fi nalized. The showpatrons will witness the veteran RnB singerperform the classics he has come to beloved for alongside new material from hisupcoming tenth studio album titled DoubleBack: The Resurrection of RnB which willbe released 3 days prior to the show.The event promises to be the biggestshow of the year and will feature local actsSamantha Mogwe, ATI, The Real Magosi,Lee, Eve (from BBA 7) , Drama Boi andSasa Klass. In an interview with Time Out,Samantha Mogwe expressed her gratitudeand delight for being one of the confi rmedmusicians to curtain raise for the ‘livingRnB legend’.

 

“I am excited and yet nervousto be chosen to perform alongside aman who is well known for making goodmusic,” she said.The Joe Thomas Live event forms part ofthe 40th Anniversary celebrations of KgalagadiBreweries according to the event organizerRobin Chivazve. When asked whatcriterion was used to create the line-up, herevealed that they chose musicians whocomplement Joe’s smooth and soulful RnBwith an urban/ adult contemporary edge.According to Robin, “ The supportingacts form an integral part of any show. InPeso or chesa nyama terms, the local lineupis the seasoning on the meat. They arethe marinade in the chicken. So their rolein warming up the crowd and whetting theirappetite is critical to the overall success ofthe show.

 

People who come to the show willbe expecting to see world class performancescome out of everybody on stage, localartists and Joe himself included.”He added, “We wanted to do what wealways do when St Louis gets involved withmusic – to recognise and reward the abundantmusical talent that exists in BotswanaAnd what better way than to give them anopportunity to share a stage with musicalheavy weights from beyond Botswana’s borders.We were looking for artists that havethat urban/adult contemporary edge to them.Ultimately we wanted artists that wouldshowcase local talent, while complementingJoe’s smooth n soulful RnB.”ATIThis 2012 BOMU best Motswako awardwinner remains a favorite to many with hisdebut album, Polao Ya Motho currently doingwell in the music charts.

 

Known for hisrich lyrical content and fl amboyant dresscodes, Ati is a great performer who engagesa wide audience. Recently, he joined forceswith the BOMU 2012 Best Female Artist ofthe Year and Album of the year award winnerNnunu Ramogotsi for the BNSC awards2013 theme song titled “Impossible is nothing.”Samantha MogweSamantha is fi nalizing her debut albumand is set to release her fi rst single to radioin the next three weeks titled, Transitions. Inthe past, Samantha has performed alongsidethe South African musical sensation Zahara.“I haven’t fi nalized my set yet, but I’m workinground the clock and people can expectmore from me,” she highlighted said.Drama BoiA new kid in the block signed under Mafi aSoul Music, Drama Boi is an incredibly talentedyoung man ‘has been dubbed the futureof local Hip Hop. In an interview with TimeOut, Drama Boi said being chosen as one ofthe performers of the big night is a great developmentto his profi le as an artist.

 

“I amvery happy to be amongst the small groupof artists chosen to share the stage with JoeThomas. To me this refl ects growth of mybrand and its relevance in the industry,” hesaid. He further shared that his performancewill incorporate surprise acts that he couldn’treveal for fear of ruining the surprise. DramaBoi also shared with Time Out that he is currentlyin studio working on his second albumwith the release date yet to be set.Sasa KlassHailed as the Hip Pop Goddess, SasaKlass is a performing artist, director, producer,beat boxer, TV show host and businesswoman.Sasa Klaas previously hosted ‘TheFoundation’, a hip hop TV show which sheco-hosted on E-Botswana alongside rapperApollo Diablo.Silver tickets for the event are on sale atselected Liquorama outlets in Gabs, whilePlatinum VIP tickets are available at theGrand Palm Hotel.