KATLEGO RAMPHALENG’S TRIBUTE TO DRAMABOI
LOCAL musician, Katlego Ramphaleng, has dropped an emotional Extended Play (EP) dubbed ‘Thuto’ to honour her late brother (Dramaboi) who died in hospital last October.
Responding to Voice Entertainment questions this week, Ramphaleng said: “My passion for music started from a very young age and it was mainly inspired by my late brother, Dramaboi and grandma, Sugar Martha Masa, and a few other musical heavyweights such as Brenda Fassie, Maxi and Brandy.”
Quizzed about her latest project, the 27-year old vocalist said: “I recently released an EP dubbed ‘Thuto’ named after Dramaboi’s birth name. It consists of three tracks because the number three (3) was special to him because of his birth date, 03/03/1993.
The first track, ‘Baengele’ was released immediately after Dramaboi’s passing while the second track, ‘Peolwane’, is named after Dramaboi’s tattoo of the swallow, a tropical forest bird. “He loved water and rain therefore I wrote it just to express how he felt about the power of water,” said Ramphaleng.
Meanwhile, the last track on the EP is titled ‘Kanana (Canaan).” It was done to heal and console whoever has lost a loved one. It is a reminder that those who have passed on have transitioned to the promised land of milk and honey,” said the 27-yearold musician.
The Mochudi native went on to explain that she worked alone on the EP because she wanted to engage a strong frequency in honouring her late brother and grandma.
CHALLENGE
Her biggest challenge, she said, was not only physical but spiritual.
“I worry about Botswana in terms of spiritual healing because we are going through a lot, but I choose to follow my brother’s footsteps to communicate through the art of music,’ said Ramphaleng.
Concerning the future, Ramphaleng, who cut her teeth in music by featuring on Dramaboi’s hit song, Sala Lenna, said she was looking forward to working with both local and international artists.
“I am looking forward to making music with a few local and international artists, and I think in the next two to three years, I will be healed from the pain of losing my brother,” she said.