Nnunu aspires to break into Chinese market
Gasebalwe Seretse | Tuesday March 25, 2014 12:23
Speaking in an interview with Showbiz, Nnunu said that she could now sing in Mandarin, a language commonly used in China.
“For the past three years, I have been learning to sing in Mandarin and I have been invited by the Chinese to perform at a good number of their events,” Nnunu said adding that she was one of the main acts at a recent event to celebrate the Chinese New ear.
The songbird asserted that the Chinese Embassy gave her a CD of a famous Chinese star. When she heard he singer she decided she wanted to learn the language by the ear. She said it was not easy learning the language adding that she was not able to get written words since she cannot read Chinese calligraphy.
“I listened to the songs and penned down what I heard so that I could easily sing along. It was not an easy thing, but then I worked hard and eventually managed to write all the lyrics,” Nnunu said.
After months and months of rehearsing, Nnunu went to a Chinese market and after doing a bit of shopping, broke into a Mandarin song.
“The Chinese women in the shop were shocked to hear me singing in their language. That actually broke the ice and the women spoke to me in the little English they could muster. From that time, I learnt the lesson that sometimes we tend to see people from other cultures that don’t speak either Setswana or English as hostile, but that is not always the case. After hearing me sing, the shop owners started being friendly and I visit their shop time and again. They help me with Chinese fashion tips,” said the singer who is also known for her great fashion sense.
She further said that Mandarin is one of the widely spoken languages in the world and that she wanted to be one of the few African artists who can sing in the language. Nnunu, one of the most hardworking artists in the country, said that she was not going to rest until she had a breakthrough in the Chinese market.
“I am currently working with a very talented older Chinese artist who is visiting Botswana and I hope that we will soon be able to release a Mandarin album. I want to be known as the black girl who sings in Chinese and I hope that will be enough to attract the potential fans among the Chinese all over the world,” she said.
Nnunu said that she believed one of the ways she could win the market is by learning many aspects of their culture adding that she has already started appreciating Chinese fashion.
“I am hoping for a cultural exchange tour that would take me to China where I would be able to perform before the Chinese in their language. I believe it would be the cherry on top if I am able to perform with my Chinese friend,” she said, adding that she is also willing to create time to enrol at the University of Botswana (UB) to formally learn Mandarin.