Lyndsay makes her debut with 'Ghost Hour'

By Tawanda Ngena

Local singer/songwriter, Lyndsay, is set to make her much anticipated debut with the release of 10-track album titled 'Ghost Hour' on December 2nd.

Quite a peculiar name for an album title, to say the least, but the songstress shed a bit more light on the issue.

"'ghost hour' is that time of the night, past midnight, when everybody else is asleep and there's little or no activity out there (people naturally associate this time of the night with ghosts and thus refer to it as the 'ghost hour'). I like this particular time of the night and because of its serenity I can be at peace, at one with my thoughts and more importantly, my creative senses are on high alert.

" For me, this is that time of the night that I put in work in as far as my music is concerned.

" It is the best time to write and record music, it is safe to say that I have made quite a lot of great music during this 'ghost hour' and that is what inspired the album title", said the artist, whose real name is Mildred Munyikwa.

Munyikwa said that a launch party was also being planned for the album as a way of commemorating this recent milestone in her career and also get to share with the fans, some of the great music that she had made during the many 'ghost hours' that she stayed awake.

The 10 track album itself contains such tracks as 'Wakati Uchandida', 'Jah Bless', 'Nhamo Yamakatisiira', 'Madhuna Mutuna', and 'Ndinochema', among others.

"The main theme that runs throughout the album is love , i tackled quite a few social issues as well as.

"I of course made room for one or two party tracks too since its the festive season again and people will be in a merrymaking mood. I wanted to give them something to dance too", she said.

She went on to explain and give us insight into a couple of the songs on the album;

"'Nhamo Yamakatisiira' is a deeply emotional song and tear-jerker that talks about an orphan who because of life's hardships wishes that he/she still had the honor of having their parents alive and in their lives to lean on for love and comfort.

" On the other hand, 'Wakati Uchandida' is a sad love song somewhat as it talks about a promising love affair that never materialised in the end simply because one person withheld the love and affection that they had promised in the very beginning but failed to do so in the end", said Lyndsay

Though relatively new to the fray, the young woman said that she recognized the power that collaborations have and how at times they have been known to be the icing on the cake and have helped catapult certain artists towards stardom.

"It is always good to collaborate with fellow musicians regardless of the genre because at the end of the day, music is music. On my debut album I featured Poptain and a few surprise collabos", said the Highfields-based songstress.

But it hardly ends there as one also needs the backing of some of the best producers on their songs. Lyndsay nevertheless made sure that she had covered all the 'basics' on this one and thereby making her debut effort one of the albums to look out for this festive season, it is an early Christmas present for dancehall fans and music lovers alike, that is for sure!

"I worked with some of the best producers that I know, namely Ptk ,Marlon T ,Oskid , Levels and Samcris, just to mention a few.

" When it comes to music everyone knows that if you want the best you gotta work with the best and I believe that this album will showcase that", said the 22 year old.

According to Lyndsay, she started singing at the very tender age of six.

"By the age of six I was already in a church choir and singing my way into people's hearts. In the end, it was the encouragement from my family, fellow church-goers and friends that made me decide to persue music professionally", she said.

The beautiful songstress who looks like she would have been just as comfortable on the modelling runway as she is behind the microphone said that growing up she had been immensely inspired by the likes of late South African singer, Brenda Fassi and Jamaica's own Lady Saw who were made strides for women in both their respective countries and genre.

"These ladies are pioneers in their own right. Their talent and endless achievements over the years inspired and paved the way for quite a lot of us young girls out there. Lady Saw in particular, managed to overcome a lot especially in such a male-dominated industry during a time when female dancehall artists rarely got the recognition and respect that they deserved. Because of that, today she remains a celebrated icon and a beacon of light for aspiring female musicians the world over", said Lyndsay.