Share this
Twitter
Myspace
Digg
Del.icio.us
Furl
Yahoo
Googlize this
Facebook
Hear this text
Print
E-mail
TO understand the impact that Lily T (Lillian Tembo), who died Monday 14th Sept 2009 night from severe gastritis and anaemia, and was buried at Mutumbi Cemetery after the traditional artistic send-off at the Lusaka Playhouse has left, one just has to log-on to her Facebook page.
The complexion of her wall is one of deep sorrow.
Her friends numbered 3,272. But the messages of condolences were just too many to count. Each had a special message and to selectively reproduce some of them would impoverish them. But they all had two things in common – Lily T was sensationally gifted and she died too young.
She was highly gifted because they saw the evidence on her two albums, Mvela and Lily Tembo. She died too young because of the potential she possessed to reach even much higher grounds.
Her gift to her fans is the already-recorded third album, which she had yet to title but which she said focuses on family values, women, men and children with only one love song titled Chakulisa (unbelievably big).
In her last interview with this writer, Lily T, whose favourite music was jazz, soul and traditional African music, said her nine-track album, is a lot more different from her past material as she has grown musically and learnt so much since her last project.
Indeed, Lily T had grown musically since joining the short-lived group In-Between at the age of 18 in 1999. Much of what she owned as a vocalist she owed it to Maureen Lilanda, with whom she spent many years as her backing vocalist. The award-winning Lily T spent the major part of her career thanking “Aunt” Maureen for what she had achieved in music. In turn, ‘Aunt” Maureen would insist that she does not think she has done anything exceptional to Lily T. In reality maybe, the veteran carbaret performer was simply saying Lily T was an exceptional talent. And exceptional she was.
Although lacking the stage movements of “Aunt” Maureen, Lily T, who like her idol was a trained journalist, was always at war with the microphone, using it to exploit her infectious voice, which came out with some irresistible hooks.
And when the voice was high-pitched, it was punctuated with squeals and hiccups as she gasped for air.
If this country had anything resembling a music industry, Lily T would have been something close to music royalty, one who would have become a star at a very tender age, what with all that talent.
The Kabwe-born singer went solo in 2003 when she released her debut album, Mvela, that birthed hits like the title-track, Musinzo and Mankwala. She then signed a recording contract with Mondo Music for the release of her second album, Lily Tembo, a pleasant soulful listen for anyone who enjoys smooth Afro grooves. Some of the major songs on the album, easily identifiable for its smooth vocals and harmonies, include Chikwati, Osalila and Chenjela.
With her death, critics will undoubtedly talk of what could have been. And rightly so. She was a genuine talent.
SHARE THIS ON: 
