9-year-old Salukazi Akwaake making waves in the music industry

Salukazi Akwaake is undeniably one of Namibia’s most talented young vocalists, with plenty of medals attached to her name. She started singing even before she could speak, she said. “My parents told me that before I could even talk properly, I was making musical sounds and I officially joined a music school when I was seven years old.”



South Africa Championships of the Performing Arts

Easily identified by the young talent as one of the biggest stages she has ever performed on, with an attendance of up to 2 000 people in South Africa, the South Africa Championships of the Performing Arts is definitely one for the books.

She won three golden medals and three silver medals as well as the overall trophy for the best female vocalist between the ages of five and 15.

Akwaake also performed at an event honouring heritage month here in Namibia, at the national theatre on the 26 August 2022. The event featured performances by singer and songwriter Erna Chimu and The Collective singers, just to name a few. Amongst these talented performers, she highlighted that it was an honour to meet former prime minister Nahas Angula at the event.



The future

Having a golden voice is opening many doors for Akwaake and she will be representing Namibia in the World Champions for Performing Arts next year in Los Angeles, where 49 other nations will be taking part and competing as well.

Undoubtedly, the young talent has a bright future ahead of her, with aspirations to not only be a musician, but she also aspires to work in the medical field as a paediatrician.

When asked whether she wanted to do music full-time, she said: “I want to be a doctor for children, to always be able to sing and perform and also to become president”.

Akwaake also plans on making her own music one day, as she is currently working on a new song with her big brother, which he is writing and producing. The young talent looks up to various musicians, including the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. Her favourite song by him is ‘You Rock My World’. She finds him relatable in the sense that he too started singing and performing at a young age and was shy just like her. Akwaake loves to dance and is a bonafide entertainer.



Motivation

Described by her mom as an independent, kind and generous girl, Akwaake said part of the reason she is so motivated is because she has a strong support system and is surrounded by strong, independent women who constantly push her to be her best self.

“Mommy always says ‘the most important thing is to keep trying and never give up’. If I fall, I must get up, understand where I went wrong and try again,” she said.

Showing that she is indeed passionate about what she does, the singer prepares for her performances on a regular basis by doing warm-ups with her vocal coach twice a week for an hour and singing any chance she gets. She also uses her quality time to practice and sing to her mom. She further said her mom is her biggest cheerleader. She acknowledged that before performances she gets very nervous, and her mom holds her hand, saying that every time she gets a negative thought, she must chase it away with a positive one.