Ritaa

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Ritaa
Ritaa Official Portrait .jpg
Background information
Birth nameRita Kalonga
Born (1995-08-16) 16 August 1995 (age 26)
Blantyre, Malawi
GenresAfro pop, R&B, dancehall
Occupation(s)Singer, songwriter
InstrumentsVocals
Years active2013–present
LabelsIndependent
Associated acts
Websiteofficialritaa.com

Rita Kalonga (born 16 August 1995), known professionally by her stage name Ritaa, is a Malawian musician, singer, songwriter and feminist.

Life and career[]

Based in Malawi's commercial city, Blantyre, Ritaa's breakthrough came in 2016 after releasing "Chapatali". The song features one of Malawi's pop stars, Dan Lu. The song peaked at number 1 on local charts,.[1][2][3] Ritaa has worked with producers like BFB who used to produce for HHP and Blasto and has shared a stage with Tay Grin and co-headlined Carlsberg Malawi urban music bash. Ritaa draws her inspiration from the likes of Rihanna, Beyonce and the late Whitney Houston. She fuses Afro-pop, R&B, dancehall, and pop.

Legacy[]

Chapatali is the first song by a female artist to chart on number 1 in Malawi Music top 100 and Weekly Malawi Music Top 20 chart by malawi-music.com. It remains the only song by a Malawian female artist to register over a hundred thousand downloads and half a million online streams on Malawi Music official website. In 2016, she also made history when she became the first Malawian female musician to have three songs at number 1 in the top 100 Malawi Music chart.[4][5]

Feminism and women's rights[]

Ritaa has been described as a feminist in the Malawi music industry. She has openly challenged patriarchy and championed for the rights of women in the country including freedom of dressing for women and girls in a country that is predominately patriarchy. Local news reports show that she has been accused of indecency and promoting pornography through her music and provocative dressing.[6]

See also[]

  • Music of Malawi

References[]

  1. ^ "Ritaa overthrows Gwamba". Malawi24.
  2. ^ "Rise of Ritaa with Chapatali song featuring Dan Lu". Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  3. ^ "Winners and losers in 2017 Nyasa Music Awards". Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  4. ^ "Malawi Songstress Ritaa Madly Love, Releases Winner/". Nyasa Times. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  5. ^ "Malawi musician Ritaa dares Rihanna: Releases 'Down Down'". Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  6. ^ "Fans mad at musician Ritaa for 'indecent' dressing". Retrieved 23 April 2020.

External links[]

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