Landi looking to Texas stage
Namibia's Landi Bonthuys will take part in the Texas Sounds International Country Music Awards in October with her song 'I Will Find You'."I'm very excited to be a part of the event. I'm looking forward to experiencing the Country music culture in Texas," she says.
Landi, who was born in Katima Mulilo and grew up in the northern parts of the country, says her love for music started at a young age. "Music was always playing in our house and my love for Country and music from the seventies and eighties started there," she says.
When her family moved to Keetmanshoop in 1993, she found her identity as a "child of the south". At the age of ten, she decided to start singing and told her mother that she wanted to become a professional singer.
"My parents probably doubted a bit, because they had never really heard me sing, but supported me unconditionally and selflessly when I started participating in Country singing competitions all over the country," says Landi.
When she was 15 years old, she recorded her first Country album and then started writing her own songs. Her second album was released four years later and won her several ATKV awards. Her career then took a new shape with the opportunity to perform at festivals in South Africa. She turned down several record contracts, because she did not want to move to South Africa. "I am very grounded in my country and my people," she says.
Later, she started working in the insurance industry full-time and her music career took a bit of a backseat. When she got married and her three children were born, Landi decided to put her music career on hold.
Diagnosed with Hashimoto's, she admits she found it difficult to speak and perform in front of people. "I struggled with it for quite a few years, until Jesus led me to live with it," she says. - [email protected]