Senwelo drums his way to the top
Gasebalwe Seretse | Friday April 11, 2014 12:15
“I started playing drums when I was only nine-years-old, but became professional at 14,” says Senwelo who hails from Madineng ward in Mochudi, but has spent his formative years in Gaborone.
The self-taught drummer says that many professionals noticed his talent. As a result he has a list of highly regarded instrumentalists who have mentored him such as Phillip Mhlanga, Moses Modise, the late Tsilo Baitsile, Sello Montwedi and Makhwengwe Mengwe.
“All these gentlemen noticed my talent when I was very young and they offered to mentor me. I haven’t paid a dime for their services,” says Senwelo with a sense of pride.
He asserts first played professionally at a workshop hosted by respected Zimbabwean guitarist Louis Mhlanga in the city of Francistown when he was only 14 and the rest as they say is history.
Today, Senwelo is a fulltime session musician, studio and tour drummer who has worked with the likes of Punah Gabasiane, Nnunu Ramogotsi, Shanti Lo, Socca Moruakgomo, Kearoma Rantao, Nono Siile and Trinity Mphoeng just to mention a few. “As far as well-known artists who play with a live band go, I think I have played for all of them except Ndingo Johwa,” he says.
Since he is a sought-after drummer, Senwelo is always busy at weekends and he mostly gets a break during the week. For inspiration, the young musician says: “I stay away from bad things that some artists use to get inspiration. I prefer to take drinks with a lot of sugar like milkshake to give me enough energy during my performances. At the beginning of my career, I used to get a lot of stage fright, but nowadays that’s a thing of the past.”
The drummer admits that like any other artist, he can miss a beat on stage, but because of the experience he has garnered over the years, he knows how to cover up his mistakes by improvising.
He says that when he is not performing, he services his drum set and reads a lot of biographies of his heroes, especially musicians.
He tells Arts & Culture that with the money that he earns he can put food on the table. But because he is still young, he stays with his parents who he says are supportive of his career.
Senwelo is aware that as youthful as he is, he is an inspiration to many so he advises would-be drummers need to sacrifice a lot to be able to be as successful as he is. “For one to succeed, they need to be humble and respect whoever they happen to cross paths with. You also need to be religiously dedicated to your career in order to make it to the top and eventually, you will reap the rewards,” he says. Senwelo is also an aviation fanatic and intends to start piloting lessons very soon.