Esther chitheka lewis: performed for us president, former presidents

Former Zathu Band musician Esther Chitheka Lewis was so excited and overwhelmed to perform at a big virtual stage on the May 11 2021.

This was during an evening event with Care International, humanitarian organisation which was celebrating 75 years.

The event which took place in the United States (USA) was hosted by Whoopi Goldberg and themed: Uplifting safety for Women, Protecting Against Gender Based Violence.

The songbird performed her gender based themed song Hold On at the event graced by the US President Joe Biden alongside former Presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter and George W Bush.

“I am excited to have performed at this event, being the only Malawian and performing before US Presidents is no mean thing.

“I also performed in the presence of great singers and songwriters and it was a huge privilege to represent Malawi there,” said Esther.

The singer preformed to represent all the women in Malawi and also to appreciate the amazing work Care is doing having started its operations in the country since 1998.

She said this was a one in a million opportunity to get exposure to a wider global audience. She added that this event is important to her because she felt considered on an issue that concerns the whole world.

Esther’s song was a rallying call which sought to encourage her fellow young women to stand strong in the face of any form of abuse and also discuss issues of gender based violence (GBV) at a global level.

She said: “Music is a weapon and can be used to heal gender-based violence because I believe it is a language. It is one way we can communicate to a large group of people at once

“Care has got different themes, including GBV. So, in the context, I preformed Hold On to offer encouragement that even during the dark days, women should know that one day things will be okay,” she said.

The singer is signed to Nvak Collective, a US non-profit making organisation that scouts, trains and develops talents in Armenia, Malawi and other developing countries.

The organisation also helps in creating a safe eco system for women in music.

She said she was selected for the event after her performance during the first Annual Africa Gender Equality Conference early this year.

She is a former member of the youthful award winning group Zathu Band.

Esther is a daughter of  music icon Apostle Enesia Chitheka-Lewis, one of the founders of the gospel group Chitheka Family that took the music industry by storm in the 1990s and early 2000s.

She was raised in Likhubula, Blantyre and attended Chichiri Primary School and Lady Bird Primary School before joining Our Lady of Wisdom Secondary School.

“I have learnt a lot from my mother and my brothers who are into jazz music and have worked with many artists in Malawi,” the songstress says.

Born in Blantyre on December 10 1997, Esther says she developed a passion for music when she was 10 and joined a praise team at her church.

Though she is yet to release an album, she describes her journey this far, as promising, saying: “More is coming.”

The 23-year-old recalls that she adopted singing as a means to keep to herself while growing up. She recalls that she used to stammer a lot.

“I was afraid friends would laugh at me when I spoke. Most of the times, I withdrew from friends due to low self esteem. Music was the only way I could express myself,” she recalls.

Take her stammering out of the equation; Esther has faced more setbacks in her quest to break into the saturated music industry.

She said she taught herself how to play a guitar.

“I am left-handed and the guitars that were available at that time were all right handed and people were not able to teach me. I took a step and learnt it all by myself. I attended no tutorials. It was just me and my mind. I started playing the right-handed guitar until I now bought the left-handed guitar two years ago,” she explains.

In 2014, she contested in Sunbird Search for a Star, a singing competition for up-and-coming musicians. She finished outside the top three.

A year later, she unsuccessfully bid for the Airtel Trace Singing Competition, but fell short as well as she did not reach the finals.

“I was disappointed, but that didn’t stop me from pursuing my music career,” Esther says.

Her perseverance paid off in 2016 when she auditioned for Zathu Band and was among the selected few.

She would also become an actress in Zathu Pa Wailesi Drama where she played the role of Chikondi.

“Zathu Band was just another big opportunity and I always thank God. As a young person, I was delighted to be part of it because the band under Girl Effect aims at behaviour change and encouraging friendships between boys and girls,” she says.

She said: “Being born in a family of musicians can be exciting as you learn the art of singing while young.

“However, it can, in equal measure, also turn into a difficult experience when you try to establish yourself as you are constantly compared to those around you.”

She confesses that she is inspired by her mother and Faith Mussa: “These two really shaped me to be where l am today and will I forever be grateful to them.

“I worked with Mussa on the reggae version remix of his song Desperate. I also did the Mzika song Dolo Amalembetsa with Piksy and Suffix as UNDP ambassadors. I have also backed my mother in her recent albums,” she discloses.

Brushing shoulders with such renowned artists has inspired her to launch a solo project.

Esther reveals that her music is being produced with the helping hands of Manifest, Frontier and OBK studios.

“If I got a chance to talk to a young woman, I would say, your art alone is enough to get you where you have to be. You don’t have to be forced to do things againt your will to gain favours. Your craft is enough. The up-and-coming females need to be careful as well. Reputation is everything and finally be brave and stand up for your rights,” she says.

“I want my fans to remember me as an extraordinary girl with the sweet husky voice who sang songs that spoke to their hearts; songs that put them at ease and changed them,” she says.

Esther praises her Music career for taking her to places she never dreamt she would be.