PNG reggae star launches in Africa
Papua New Guinean reggae musician Anslom (born Ronald Nakikus) may be well known to Pacific reggae fans, but the release of his first international album in South Africa is opening his PNG style of music to more than 200 million fans.
“I have always been inspired by the late Lucky Dube’s style of music and the way positive messages promoting love, peace, hope and unity are portrayed within his music,” he tells Paradise.
I have always been inspired by Lucky Dube’s music and the way it promotes love, peace, hope and unity.
For more than 25 years, Dube produced 22 albums in Zulu, English and Afrikaans and was South Africa’s biggest-selling reggae artist before he was murdered in Johannesburg in 2007. But his style lives on through his band, One People.
Anslom met the band when it did a three-city tour of PNG in 2015. Anslom was the curtain-raiser, and was so impressed with their style of music that he dug into his savings to take the band sightseeing in Kokopo, where they did an open-air show, and to his home village of Matupit in Rabaul, so they could experience life in PNG.
“I did this in the hope that if I treated them right then maybe when I go to South Africa they would give me the same treatment back, and ultimately agree to work with me on my first international reggae album.”
Over the next four years, Anslom travelled to Johannesburg to lay down the tracks for the album Love Me Again, which was released in April.
Locally, Anslom played with bands like Barike Band and Kuakumba Rutz during his days at the University of Papua New Guinea, where he gained a degree in political science, and then a postgraduate diploma in language and literature at the University of Goroka.
“Both degrees have helped me write some of my best songs, but I guess the reggae has got the better of me.”
Anslom was discovered in 2008 by Mangrove Studios in New Caledonia with the help of Emile Tama’asere, popularly known with the PNG radio name of Uncle ET. He produced three albums through Mangrove and realised he could make a career out of music when Mangrove Studios made the first royalty payment.
“It hasn’t been an easy journey,” he says. He’s had to take out loans, get sponsors and do numerous shows to fundraise for the trips to Johannesburg. More trips are planned to record video clips, followed by a world tour next year.
You can purchase Anslom’s music online at digital stores such as iTunes, Spotify, Joox, Google Play, Deezer, Music and MusicTime. Just type ‘Anslom, Love Me Again’, and there are 11 wonderful tracks.