MATHEWS Tembo, widely known for his songs Konkha and Mwenikana, which feature on the drama series Mpali, has quietly built a unique musical identity. While performing reggae in Denmark, a professor mistook him for a Jamaican and asked why he didn’t play Zambian music. He says from that day he was determined to find his own sound, which led him to the silimba and other indigenous instruments. Our conversation begins with Mathews sharing the thrill of performing live at the 2025 Kwacha Music Awards, his nod in the Reggae and Dancehall category, and why ‘Konkha’ was the song he wanted the world to hear. “The performance was okay. Of course, we kind of messed up in the beginning because, as...