A young Motswana woman has decided to celebrate her mother tongue in her album. The 21-year-old former My star contestant, Amantle Ntshole, is set to release an 8-track album where she does not only showcase her amazing rapping skills but she has also done the unbelievable by singing all songs in Setswana.
Many still remember her from last year’s remarkable performance at Yarona fm Music Awards (YAMAS), where she, alongside RnB singer Spiza, displayed the performance of the night by paying tribute to all those who passed on. The song was entitled ‘When I die’. Ntshole had many eating out of her hand with her amazing voice but she is now more than convinced that her album which is entitled The word (Puo phaa) will not only score her more fans but will also take her music outside Botswana.
“In this album I have tried to cater for all people of different ages. It is not only for a certain age, but everybody can get to enjoy it. The most interesting thing about it is that all songs are in Setswana and carry a very deep meaning which I am sure will help some who are facing challenges in life,” she said.
Ntshole continued that singing in Setswana was her way of honouring her language and simply to show other countries that our language is nice and can be celebrated through music. She added that in the album she did her best to touch on different issues that affect people in their daily lives. “It’s more like a story line of problems we come across within life, issues of love, fatherless kids, unacceptable youth behaviour, woman empowerment and unemployment,” she said.
She added that these are real issues that trouble everyone once in a while and her music will now act as a healing process as she offers advice and shares with people the secret to beating those problems.
A song she feels will make a great impact on people’s lives is one called Moratiwa. She said the song talks about a lost husband who left his wife and kids to go and have fun with young girls. “This is what happens these days in our country and in most cases the women are not strong enough to get through such situations, but in this song I warn people not to fall in this trap,” she said.
She further continued that another great song that carries deep meaning is titled, Banana which addresses the behavior that most youth indulge in which includes alcohol abuse, teenage pregnancy and cohabitation. She explained that she may be young by age but she has done her homework and has realised that most people are still clueless about the impact these issues may later have on them in the future.
Ntshole emphasised that the album is more of an educational album. She pointed out she is aware that Batswana do not buy CD’s in large numbers but she is confident that if the album is marketed well, it will do wonders for her career as it has cultivated maturity in her musically.
