Peter Mawanga

Afrovibe artist Peter Mawanga fuses traditional African rhythms, composition and vocal arrangements with modern instrumentation. His music is simultaneously inspirational, introspective, spiritual and socially conscious. The latter facet can be heard even in the initial roots of his career, when he shot to fame across Malawi, albeit under the moniker Peter Pine, with his record Citylife. Sparking controversy early on with the song ‘Amakhala ku Blantyre’, Mawanga shattered the ‘streets are paved with gold’ myth with his candid and veristic lyrics on both the urban and rural lifestyle in Malawi. This politicised approach to his art has kept Peter integral to the Malawi music scene and is to be expected from a man who, as a child, travelled with his Malawian missionary family to Zimbabwe in the heat of the revolutionary struggles there. His poignant songs with strong messages mark Peter’s journey from pop star to celebrated musician and voice of the underprivileged.Singing in both his mother tongue and more widely spoken languages has brought Peter his deserved success, making his music globally recognized yet intrinsically Malawian. As a result, he has been able to perform at live music venues across the world, whether it be London or native festivals such as Lake of Stars, with international artists such as Oliver Mtukudzi and Wambali Mkandawire. All the while, he has remained dedicated to the causes that matter to him working closely with organisations like SASO, Unicef and Plan Malawi to mentor orphaned and venerable children through music workshops and raise awareness of AIDS. His song ‘Timveni’ was the official song for Plan Malawi’s Timveni children’s radio project. In recent years, Peter has expanded his sound with his project, Peter Mawanga and The Amaravi Movement. Incorporating Malawian instrumentation, jazz guitar, marimba rhythms and singing in Chichewa, Peter is able to speak both musically and lyrically directly to Malawi. He composes when he is at peace and in synch with the world and therefore the result is unrestrained and intimate. In 2008, this project impressed Rhythm of Life to sign Peter as the first artist on their new record label in Malawi.