The Malawian music legend has become a social media star with his “Linny Hoo” receiving over 80 million views on Tik-tok.
"They come and show me the videos on their phones, but I have no idea how it works," Chalamanda told AFP at his home on the edge of a macadamia plantation, about 20 kilometres (12 miles) from Malawi's main city Blantyre."But I love the fact that people are enjoying themselves and that my talent is getting the right attention," he said, speaking in Chewa.
Despite his grey hair and slight stoop, the Malawian singer displays youthful exuberance as he sits chatting with a group of young fans. He first recorded the song “Linny” as an ode to one of his daughters, over twenty years ago.
But he got acclaimed for the same only two decades later when Patience Namadingo, a young gospel artist teamed up with Chalamanda to record a remix of “Linny” titled “Linny Hoo”. The video went viral on YouTube, where it racked up more than 6.9 million views. Later that year, the video got viral on TikTok.
Ever since learning about the song’s sensational social media popularity from his children and their friends, he and Namadingo have been recording remixes of several others of his best-known tracks.
Born in Chiradzulu, a small town in Southern Malawi, Chalamanda has collaborated with several younger musicians and performs all across his country. "When his music starts playing in a club or at a festival, everyone gets the urge to dance. That is how appealing it is," musician and long-time collaborator Davis Njobvu told AFP.
South Africa-based music producer Joe Machingura attributed the global appeal of a song recorded in Chewa, one of Malawi's most widely-spoken languages, to the sentiments underlying it.
"The old man sang with so much passion, it connects with whoever listens to it," he said, adding: "It speaks to your soul."
Chalamanda, a twice-married father of 14 children, only seven of whom, including Linny, are still alive, said he has no idea how to secure royalties for the TikTok plays. Chalamanda and his wife hope to benefit financially from his new-found stardom.