Track of the Week “Golide” by Sonye is a light and catchy love song about a couple on their way down the aisle, whose love he describes as precious, like gold. The words “Ngathi golide, chikondi chathu ndi chodula” were inspired by his love life, and Sonye delivers verse after verse with a kind of buoyancy that happily-ever-afters are made of.
Written and produced by Sonye himself from the male's perspective, the song is teeming with promises of loyalty and the desire to take care of his partner. The track is simultaneously smooth, warm and fun, the perfect soundtrack to romance from the warm heart of Africa.
The singer is 24-year-old Malawian R&B singer-songwriter Sonyezo Houston Kandoje, who started out distracting his classmates with his affinity for music and uncanny ability to take listeners along with him.
“I used to get in trouble for using my desk as a drum set while other kids were rapping to the beat,” he recalls. “Then later when my mum bought me a toy keyboard, I learnt to play a couple of famous songs, including our national anthem. From there on I just knew I had some talent in me.”
The Blantyre-based talent has produced for many other outfits such as Young Kay (1st Impression), Tay Grin, Maskal, Phyzix, Barry One (Legendary), Tigris (Give me a Break), Habakuk, Cash and Harry B, crossing from genres such as R&B, hip-hop and dancehall to pop and gospel. He also wrote the score for theatre production Makwacha, as co-founder of media company Timve Media Group, music studio Baseline Studios and online magazine Timve Mag.
In 2010 he came out with his first experiment, “Mr Captain”, and “Tabwela” thereafter, deciding finally that he would produce an entire album of his own. The 12-track album was recorded at Baseline Studios, mixed and mastered by Pempho Kafoteka, with the album opener produced by the UK-based Malawian beat-maker God's Favourite.
After releasing Break Point in 2012, Sonye drummed up quite the reputation as one of M-dub's finest young producers, snapping up fans with his well-crafted English-Chewa lyrics on “Konko” and “Kwacha” with characteristically catchy beats and vocals setting him apart from the rest.
“Being a great producer comes with great responsibilities. You are expected to deliver fresh sound all the time, it doesn’t matter the situation you were in inside the studio, but people will always judge you by your output. It’s funny; mistakes of great producers are noted faster that those of amateurs,” he says.
Clearly, Sonye is no amateaur. His next single, "Tsika", is set for release any day now.
