We live in a fast-paced world today, and we need to evaluate and change constantly in order to survive. This is the philosophy behind one of South Africa’s most talented and dynamic men, Nde Ndifonka, otherwise known as singer and producer, Wax.
It has been seven years since Wax moved to South Africa from Cameroon as a broke and naive 21 year old, and registered for a Masters Degree at Wits University. Without family or social circles to rely on, the youngster had to stick his hand in several pies to survive. He wrote stories for magazines, typed CVs, published a book, ‘The Chosen One’ that was used for Grade 11 English, and worked as a research and writing consultant. He even bunked graduate school classes to rehearse and perform in the musical “Sauer Street”, prompting many lecturers and students to mistake him for a music major. A few years on, Nde has had to leave behind a law degree cum sprouting career as a legal counselor, and use his interpersonal skills and knack for public performance to score success as the regional spokesperson for the International Organization for Migration, while running his own record label.
“There is unfortunately a huge gap, and African music is suffering”
His alter ego, talented soul singer, songwriter and producer, Wax, has had to undergo equally radical transitions since he first surfaced rather furtively on South Africa’s music scene in 2008 with a debut album, African soul, that scored little commercial success in the country. Described rather harshly as a ‘Neyo-look alike, Salif Keita-wanna be’ in one media article, the album’s greatest demise might have been the dwindling allure of African music to South African audiences. And although it brought him some recognition and even an endorsement deal with Johannesburg Tourism Company, the rich, acoustic traditional jazz offering got more airplay overseas than it did in South Africa.
‘The reality is that African music is dying in these parts – Kaya FM which was the custodian of African music has all but turned its back on the genre. Even TV channels such as Channel O, which made my first single popular across the continent, have made a drastic format move to urban and pop music. There is unfortunately a huge gap, and African music is suffering, ” explains Wax.
It is even worse for a youngster with a fresh, urban look to gain credibility in a genre that is considered to be reserved for old musicians. Being a foreign artist does not make things easier. Wax also laments that many people would not take him seriously because they thought he was trying to ride on his professional success in other areas to dabble in music. But he was not one to rest on his laurels. Barely four months after his label, Lolhiphop joined forces with SHEER Sound to release African Soul, he was back in studio, working towards a new project that he thought would be more amenable to the South African market, while preserving his distinct international and crossover African sound.
This search for mainstream recognition saw the birth of the album ‘African Dream’ in 2009, featuring the single, ‘Miss Real, Mr Regular’, a soul ballad that became an instant hit on METRO FM and proved that Wax is a musical force to reckon with on the local scene. However, most of the album remained conservatively crossover in its delivery, and Wax had to make further compromises to make his sound even more accessible to South African audiences. Teaming up with local producer and rapper Omen, he delivered a hiphop remix to ‘Miss Real, Mr Regular”.
“…is that the market for African music is indeed expanding”
“I dropped the CD off with the security guard at YFM, and the next thing I knew it was a hit. DJ Sbu was telling me once during his breakfast show how much he loved the song and all I could think was, how did I get here, from a an afro-jazz performer to high rotation on Y? Anyway, people are starting to pay attention, I have companies from Cape Town approaching me to do business with me, compilers call my label asking for my music.”
And he’s heeding to the call. Wax is preparing for a re-release of African dream, featuring five new songs that speak to the South African public, and featuring collaborations with more urban local acts such as Gang of Instrumentals. The new album is titled: ‘African Dream reloaded’ and will be released exclusively in South Africa in May 2010.
But Wax is adamant that he is not sacrificing his first love – what he calls afro-soul – at the altar of an urban sound. To him, it is just an exercise to make his music accessible to new audiences, and the original African formats of the albums are still released back home in Cameroon and internationally. And he is grounded enough to know that scoring success on radio and gaining recognition in South Africa does not necessarily translate to good tidings in an extremely tough music industry that has suffered further setbacks with the global recession.
“The truth is music is a tough business. And artists need to understand that there is a whole world around a song, around music, and that should not be ignored. The industry, like most other industries, is suffering serious setbacks now, and we need to take our creative caps out of the studio to keep afloat.”
And that is what Wax has been up to. While most of his peers were on holidays last December, Wax was jostling between boardrooms in his home-country, Cameroon, where he managed to partner with three major TV stations to launch an sms competition; under the competition, one lucky winner will get a free trip to South Africa during the 2010 soccer world cup, with a companion of their choice. The winners will also get to see him perform live in Durban during the event.
“Cameroonians love to travel, and they love Wax, so I created a business opportunity that also markets my new CD. Let’s face it – people are not buying CDs now. Money is tough. They’re downloading the music from the internet. So I’ve thrown in hundreds of CDs as additional prizes for the campaign. That way, I still get to make money, while encouraging people to play.”
Music is a tough business, but Wax considers himself up to the challenge. From jazz artist to urban crooner, he is not scared of change. Neither is he hesitant to look beyond the rubble of crumbling music markets and seize an opportunity when he sees one.
“It will get better, not just for what is regarded as commercial music now, but I think in time, Africans themselves will realise the value of African music that they are increasingly ignoring now. One thing I pick up when I travel to perform overseas is that the market for African music is indeed expanding. Paradoxically, we are the one who will have to catch up. Until then, we need to think creatively to stay afloat.”
