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Tsar Leo

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Tsar Leo
Birth nameLeo Siwale
Born (1995-06-05) 5 June 1995 (age 29)
OriginMalawi
GenresHip hop, R'n'B
Occupation(s)Rapper, singer, songwriter,
InstrumentVocals
Years active2014–present
LabelsIndependent
Websitetsarleo.com

Leo Siwale (born 5 June 1995), known professionally by his stage name Tsar Leo, is a Malawian rapper, singer and songwriter. He was nominated as Malawi's Best New Artist of the Year for 2015.

Life and career

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Based in Malawi’s capital city, Lilongwe, Tsar Leo came into the limelight in 2014 after releasing "Things We Do" featuring KeiM. Since then, he has so far released a string of successful singles. "The Other Side" was Tsar Leo's international breakthrough, featuring in different music channels across Africa.[1] The song was nominated in the 2016 Independent Music Awards.[2] He has also performed with artists from other countries like Zambia's A-Team [3]

Tsar Leo is well known for fusing rapping and singing, with an audible contrast between typical hip-hop beats and melody, abrasive rapping coupled with softer accents, delivered with an egotistical lyricism, a style popularised by Drake and Big Sean.[4]

He is popular among young people due to the fact that he performs his songs in English and that hip hop, known as urban music in Malawi, is a music taste for this age group. He has headlined a number of urban music festivals such as Malawi Urban Music. He has worked with other renowned artist in Malawi including: Lawi, Faith Mussa and has shared stage with: Tay Grin; Hazel Mak; Theo Thomson; Piksy, Sonye, Dan Lu, Nessness and Black Missionaries.

In 2020, Siwale released his EP “OldTimes GoodTmes” & his debut album “ENERGY”.[5]

He lists Drake, J Cole and Kendrick Lamar among those who have influenced his style and interest in music.

Activism

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Tsar Leo joined hands with Plan International Malawi and Amplified Movement on a series of projects that advocate children's rights in Malawi through music. He performed a song, titled Bring Them Home, with an ensemble of Malawian musicians. The song addresses the issue of child trafficking.[6]

Nominations

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  • Malawi Music of the Year 2016 for the Other Side. Other nominees in the category include: Tay Grin, Zani Challe and Dan Lufani.
  • Malawi Best New Artist of the Year (2015) [7]

MTV Base listed Tsar Leo as one of the 2016 top 10 hottest hip-hop artists from Malawi.[8]

Discography

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Tsar Leo prepares to storm africa as malawian hip hop comes of age". MTV Base. 26 August 2016. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
  2. ^ "Tsar Leo's The Other Side queues for a world music award". Malawi24. 2 September 2016. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
  3. ^ "A-Team – "Your Body" ft. Tsar Leo". Zambian Music Blog. 28 June 2016. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
  4. ^ "Tsar Leo releases 'The Other Side' music video". Malawi24. 14 August 2016. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
  5. ^ "Tsar Leo drops debut album | Malawi 24 - Malawi news". Malawi 24. 27 May 2020. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  6. ^ "Bring Them Back Music Video". YouTube. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  7. ^ "Tough Battle in Malawi Urban Music Awards 2015". AllAfrica. 27 October 2015. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
  8. ^ "Malawi #HottestMCs 2016". MTV Base. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
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