29 Years In, Swart BasterEvolves and Expands
Twenty-nine years in the music industry and nine albums later, Swart Baster is still going strong.
Baptised Allen Jonathan, Swart Baster was born and bred at Swakopmund and the veteran musician has just finished his ninth studio album, ‘Expandable’, to be released next month.
“The title was inspired by my rapid growth as an artist. I am definitely on another path from when I started my music career in 1996 to where I am now,” explains Swart Baster.
“The album contains 24 tracks. A lot of people are asking me why the albums contain so many songs but I think that I owe it to my loyal fans. I did not release for three years and it is only appropriate that I give people something to remember for a long while.”
The album is co-produced by Maritoko and Chester bee.
The highly energetic performer, who fuses Afrikaans, Afropop and Kavango traditional music, is known for his lively performances on stage.
A ‘Best Kwasa Kwasa’ award winner at the 2009 Namibian Annual Music Awards, Swart Baster dropped his debut album, ‘Kaisosi’, in 2005 after he joined the famed SAN Welwitschia Music Productions. He is currently shooting videos to promote his long-awaited new album.
“We finished shooting the video for my single ‘Marathon’, which is on YouTube. The song is actually a fun song, inspired by my cousin’s girlfriend, who ran away after she found his sister at home, thinking it might be his girlfriend,” Swart Baster explains.
“We were all laughing at the way she turned around and ran, with my one cousin suggesting that she took off like a real athlete, first slower than fast just like a marathon runner, hence the title ‘Marathon’. We were all laughing afterwards and the two are still happily in love.”
Swart Baster features Kachazi on the song and the video was shot by DJ Chronic, who also co-produced the album.
The musician, who thrilled music fans all over the country with top ma /gaisa stars like Standley ‘Ou Stakes’ Hamaseb and the late Phura Duwe, also owns his record label, Naughty Crew.
Swart Baster started his music career as part of a boys rap group known as the Naughty Crew. The group was together for a few years and released an album under the SAN Welwitschia Music Production label, to which they were signed.
The singer, who cites late American rap star Tupac Shakur and evergreen Congolese soukous singer Awilo Longomba as musical influences, honed his singing skills in the Evangelical Lutheran Church youth choir at Swakopmund.
The musician, who has released hits like ‘Ding Dong’, ‘Berou’, ‘Hartloos’ and ‘Nilyeko’, also has side hustles apart from music.
“The struggles of this industry taught me that one can not only rely on CD sales and shows. The Namibian music industry is on the decline and it is happening at a very fast speed, unless our new government will come up with ways to rescue our situation,” he notes.
“I have seen a lot of musicians struggling after they retire and I have made sure I am not going to follow their route. I am farming with goats, sheep, ducks and chicken at a plot in the Karibib area and I have even started a security company which is still in its infant stages.”
Swart Baster married Jessica Jonathan in 2017, and the couple have two sons.
Apart from burning up stages with his exciting live performances, Swart Baster also wowed international audiences during the Dubai Trade Fair in 2013, to which he was invited by the late president Hage Geingob while he was still the minister of trade. He followed up this international performance with a high-profile gig hosted by the Nelson Mandela Foundation in Madagascar in 2017.
Swart Baster will launch his album with a live band at the National Theatre of Namibia in June, on a date yet to be announced.
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