What Lawi Fans Think About My Father's Land

Renowned Malawian musician Lawi finally released his highly anticipated “My Father’s Land” album on Saturday the 27th, marking the end of a production journey that started in 2022. The album is available for preview and purchase exclusively on Vwaza Multimedia’s Music App, following Lawi’s partnership with the music distribution platform in July this year.

When the Lawi Group and Vwaza Multimedia discussed and signed their agreement, they were hopeful that their alliance would set a new precedent for Malawi’s music distribution, as it would catapult local brands by showcasing them to wider local audiences and to the international masses. This vision has been unfolding rather beautifully, first with the album’s listening session, and now set in full motion with the album now on full display on the budding company’s website.

The Lawi Group, with support from Vwaza Multimedia, held a listening session for the My Father’s Land album on Sunday the 21st of September at Blantyre’s Sunbird Mount Soche Hotel. There, Lawi shared his 33-song album with a small, hand-picked audience, and played songs such as Mtima Moto, Kalongosola, and the multi-lingual Uncle Zulu in Soweto, while getting feedback from his trusted supporters.

One audience member - a musician and member of the Vocal Fusion band, which also performed during the Listening Session - was very impressed with the album. He drew attention to the artistry behind it, applauding Lawi’s attention to detail, his vocals, the instruments used, and his overall creativity in creating what he described as Lawi’s best work. He said Lawi’s ability to outdo himself inspired him and consistently push boundaries with his music.

This member was not the only one who was blown away by the album, considering that the audience spent well over ten million Kwacha on album bids. An anonymous bidder bought the album for a whopping three million Kwacha, while other audience members, including Charles Lipenga, an architect and CEO of the UN-awarded Maestros Group, purchased the album at one million Kwacha.

After the event, the Vwaza team held interviews to gauge the audience’s overall feedback and perception of the then-soon-to-be-dropped album. Innocent Kaliati of the Orbis Foundation said his favorite song, while cliche, was the album-titled song, My Father’s Land. “I really resonate with it because it talks about us retreating home whenever life gets heavy. I really love that.”

Note that, during the event, Kaliati took the podium to share his Orbis’ partnership with Lawi on the conservation of Mulanje Mountain, which eventually led to its recently attained status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Another listener said her favorite song was Kalongosola. She was so eager for the album to drop so she could play the song everywhere. “I think I really attached to that song a lot. I'm really looking forward and [am] keen on listening to the song‌ in the shower, in the car, in my bedroom... I think it's going to be really exciting.”

Despite the high-ticket sales during its first public showcase, which were an appreciation and applause of Lawi’s craftsmanship, My Father’s Land is selling at USD 10, or a little over 18 thousand Malawi Kwacha, on Vwaza Music. Listeners can listen to 30-second previews of all the songs before purchasing the album, after which they can download it onto their preferred digital device.

My Father’s Land is a collection of Lawi’s thoughts and experiences on the rich and beautiful African continent. In it, Lawi shares rarely told but commonly experienced insights from living in Malawi, and of being a child of the African soil.