Boyz II Men jet in, promise unforgettable shows

Boyz II Men face the media in Lusaka. From left, Shawn Stockman, Wanya Morris and Nathan Morris

Boyz II men pose with their portraits, drawn by talented artist Silvester Mali (right)

Legendary US R&B group Boyz II Men have arrived in Zambia for the 2017 Stanbic Music Festival and have promised exhilarating and memorable concerts.

The multi-award-winning trio, comprising Sean Stockman, Wanya Morris and Nathan Morris, landed in Lusaka on Thursday afternoon ahead of their double bill performance on Friday and Saturday.

“We are happy to be here. It’s so nice to get so much love from a place we’ve never been before. Being our 26th year it’s nice to know that people from around the world, specifically here (in Zambia) still appreciate what we do,” said Sean at a press briefing held at the Taj Pamodzi Hotel Thursday evening.

“We promise to offer 100 per cent like we always do. We promise you a great show. … We’ve performed in many places around the world and there are places like Zambia that wanted to see us. We are also happy and excited to see new people.”

He said concert goers could expect a mix of old classics that made the band popular in the 1990s as well as songs from some latest albums, which he said had evolved in of lyrics and style.

“The old classics is what people know us for, the songs that made us famous, the songs that all of you fell in love with. That element of our DNA is still part of us and will never go away. But as human beings and as artistes we are affected by times and generations changing and the world changing,” he said.

Sean added: “Anyone that doesn’t evolve is not a human being. We all change, we all evolve. That’s the meaning behind Boyz II Men; it’s growth, to be able to go from here to there and to progress naturally. Music changes, whether it’s style or lyrics and we hope people are receptive to the change and go on along the journey with us.”

And Wanya said the group would perform some of the songs that made the group popular.

“We just want to make sure the feel-good element is in the mix. We’ll make sure we give you the songs that you fell in love with. We know what got us where we are and the songs that people can rock to,” he said.

And tracing the group’s 26-year history, Nathan said the love for music had kept the group together for that long.

“Before we became friends we enjoyed signing together…So, I’s say our love for music has kept us together for all these years,” he said.

Zambia Association of Musicians (ZAM) president Njoya Tembo said the association was delighted to have the legendary music group in Zambia and praised Stanbic Bank and other partners for sponsoring the country’s largest

“Being the fourth year of the Stanbic Music festival, ZAM is excited that we are consolidating our music industry and in collaboration with Stanbic Bank to support our local music,” he said. “We’d like to share our experiences with international artistes. Our interest is to see how we can network and share experiences.”

Tembo also invited Boyz II Men to consider investing in a record label in Zambia.

In attendance at the press briefing were some of the local musicians who make part of the line-up for the music festival. The entire list comprises Afro soul singer Wezi, traditional folk singer Mumba Yachi, Hip-hop sensation Chef 187 and Gospel sensation Abel Chungu Musuka, Zambian R&B singer K’millian, singer and guitarist James Sakala, as well as electric violinist Caitlin DeVille.

Gates for the show open on Friday at 16:00 hours.

Formed in 1988 in Philadelphia, Boyz II Men originally comprised four members; Michael McCary left the group in 2003. The group’s road to success began in 1992 with the release of End of the Road from the album Cooleyhighharmony. The single was top of the Billboard Hot 100 for 13 weeks, breaking the decades-old record held by rock legend Elvis Presley.

Boyz II Men proceeded to break this record with the subsequent releases of I’ll Make Love to You and One Sweet Day (with pop diva Mariah Carey), which at 14 and 16 weeks respectively, each set new records for the total number of weeks at number one. One Sweet Day still holds that record.

The trio holds the distinction of being the best-selling R&B group of all time, with 60 million albums sold.