He is popular among the ladies; his music is all about love.
Singer Armstrong Kalua (30) is known fondly amongst his international fans as Onesimus – a name he chose after reading about a man who went from being a slave to a bishop.
“I read about him. His story inspired me. It’s almost like he went from nothing to something.”
His latest song Shuga is all about love.
“The song is about my obsession with a woman and me always wanting to protect her and anything that tries to come in between me and she will be eliminated, basically,” Onesimus says.
Before Shuga, he released the song Open Your Heart which went viral and had couples dancing on Tik Tok.
With his music being borderless, Onesimus recently won the best artist of the year 2022 at Zikomo Africa Awards for his single Solomon after going head-to-head with Katia Venessa from Mozambique, Topcheri, Dama Monique, ML Musik both from Namibia, Samantha from Botswana, Skhokho from South Africa, Kay Bizzy, Rich Figo from Zambia and Taylor Jaye from Malawi.
This is not his first award. In 2019, he scooped Best Male Artiste at the All Africa Music Award (Afrima) in Nigeria.
“The music is borderless. I was also pleasantly surprised to have won both awards, but I am glad to be able to inspire people across the continent,” he says.
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Onesimus was introduced to his fans many moons ago as a Gospel singer and has since shifted to making love songs.
“Who doesn’t want to love and be loved? Everyone can relate to the topic of love and romance,” he says.
“But I can still do both and any genre.”
His upcoming eight-track EP features Amapiano songs, Afrobeats, and romantic R&B.
“I am versatile. But I want to always make music that makes people feel good. Music is universal, timeless and if you’re a real musician, you can tap into any dimension,” he says.
In his previous project Messenger, he featured the likes of Vusi Nova, 047, Tekno from Nigeria.
“This time, I work with other artists, but I want to keep it a surprise, until close to the release date mid-November,” he says.
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He started making music at 13 years old.
“I used to get onto the dining table and sing and my mom was very proud, she could see the potential at an early age,” he says.
At that age, he listened to what his parents played, which included R. Kelly, Lionel Richie, and UB40.
“At a later stage, I was introduced to the likes of Chris Brown, and Usher.”
By 21 years old he was making music professionally.
“I was singing at the church, clubs, and pubs. I would travel across the continent alone.”
Onesimus was discovered by Muthaland founder Lance Stehr seven years ago.
“He was looking for a producer at the time and we met through a mutual friend. I had heard of a Lance who had worked with Zola, Nathi, DJ Cleo, and them but I had no idea I was meeting him,” he says.
“When I met him, I was shocked. He was nothing like the person people painted him to be, he was cool and chilled. Since then, he has been my mentor and a father figure, making sure I am walking the path that was meant for me, guiding me, and making sure I don’t get lost and retain the Onesimus brand. With his music, Onesimus wants to transcend all borders.
“I make true authentically African music. I want to put Africa on the map and represent it on the world stage. I can’t be boxed or limited to one place; I am aiming for international stature. I want to be the people's voice,” he says.
