Mjura Mkandawire wins K14m Airtel Trace Music Star Malawi edition

Samuel ‘Mjura’ Mkandawire, is the winner of the first season of Airtel Trace Music Star singing competition, a music contest that proved that Malawi has incredible talent that needs to be discovered.

The grand finale that took place on Saturday night in Blantyre, saw four finalists out of the thousands eligible Airtel subscribers in the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) based music competition tussle it out for K14 million and a chance to represent Malawi in the Pan African music competition in Nairobi on March 28.

The 27 years old Samuel ‘Mjura’ Mkandawire was adjudged winner of maiden edition and took K14 million home.

“I didn’t expect to get to this level knowing that it would be that competitive but thanks to God, thousands of Malawians who voted for me, I made it; I am the first winner of the Airtel TRACE Music Star Malawi edition,” said Mjura Mkandawire.

The competition was keenly contested by all finalists who possessed strong singing voices, unique personas as well as great stage presence.

The losing finalists were given a chance to record one song each at their own choice of studio in the Malawi.

With the win, Mkandawire now gets a special ticket to represent Malawi against other contestants from 12 countries presence (Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Madagascar, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Chad, Congo B, DRC, Gabon) in the Airtel TRACE Music Star Pan African competition which is set to take place in March this year.

The opportunity gives him a chance to compete for the overall grand prize which comprises of a recording deal with Kon Live, a distributed label through Universal Music Group, and an intense mentorship Programme with Akon in the United States of America.

“I can’t wait to get to the next level; I can assure Malawians that l will give it my best with the hope of becoming the winner to clinch the recording deal,” said Mjura Mkandawire.

“ I am super excited about this opportunity. One thing is for sure, I will not disappoint my nation and the thousands of fans who voted and believed in me, I intend to put my win to good use and conquer the Pan-African competition,” added the Lilongwe based winner.

While congratulating Mkandawire, Airtel Malawi Chief Commercial Officer Charles Kamoto said, “Airtel TRACE Music Star is all about making dreams come true and giving aspiring stars a chance to shine.”

He said   Airtel is passionate about creating credible platforms that celebrate and reward young talented people.

He also hailed TRACE TV for their support that enabled them to showcase the wealth of talent that exists within Malawi.

The fans voted, the judges loved him and the audience applauded!

On his part, Malawi’s TRACE Country Coordinator Annie Chisala thanked all contestants because even though there is one winner, Malawi won .

“The talent of music in this country is amazing as you have witnessed it. We are really and extremely happy with the quality of this competition! Congratulations to all the finalists. Thanks to Airtel and all the partners who made this happen,” said Chisala.

The Pan-African competitions will be held in March this year where the overall winner will walk away with a prize of USD 50 thousand , a recording deal with Kon Live, a distributed label through Universal Music Group, and an intense mentorship Programme with Akon in the United States of America.

Present during the function was the minister of Information and Tourism Kondwani Nankhumwa, Blantyre mayor Noel Chalamanda and some musicians like Piksy and Black Jack.

Piksy said the level of competition was “ truly remarkable.”

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