Swazi Observer

FULL STORY

KINGDOM XRL WELCOMES SEEDLYN

By Nokwanda Sibandze | 2020-08-01

XLR Music Compilation is a ground breaking, vibrant youth music platform that compiles songs submitted by numerous skilled artists from the Kingdom of Eswatini and beyond.

Ground breaking as it is, it needed a ground breaking, vibrant presenter and I believe this young lady fits the description.

Sitfombolesihle Dlamini also known as Seedlyn is taking over the digital world as a the new presenter for Kingdom XRL. Side by side with all round artist Lution, these two are set to light the music industry on fire. We sat down with Seedlyn and we got to find out about her love for music and her dreams for the show.

Please tell us about yourself and what excites you about the show?

“I identify myself as an all round creative and critical thinker driven by positivity and the process of growth mentally, spiritually and intellectually. I am currently here in the capacity of presenter and content creator of XLR Xtra which is a sister medium of Kingdom XLR Music Compilation. XLR Xtra is a weekly bite sized digital platform that researches and disseminates local and international news digitally. What excites me about this platform is the creative freedom that we abide by with the team at Kingdom XLR which has allowed me to be comfortable when conducting my research from compiling the news to having my opinion piece within each episode of the weekly five minute long entertainment news bulletins.”

In your opinion, how would you say the show has helped the industry?

Kingdom XLR is a ground breaking, vibrant youth music platform that compiles songs submitted by numerous skilled artists from the Kingdom of Eswatini and beyond. These songs (all genres) are screened, compiled, announced by Lution in a radio style format. These songs are then packaged and distributed digitally on multiple digital platforms on a consistent monthly bases. Already that platform contributes immensely to the vibrancy of the music industry in the Kingdom. XLR Xtra comes in as a bridge to feed the audience with entertainment news on a weekly bases while you wait for the monthly music compilations. While the Kingdom XLR Music Compilations playlist is 100 per cent Eswatini content, XLR Xtra allows the platform to crossover and appeal to a global audience through the international stories that we cover side-by-side with the local content. This angle and approach avails an opportunity for our content as emaswati to be showcased in a positive light to the international audience while stirring things up in the local entertainment industry.”

What will you bring to the show that people should look forward to?

“I bring well-researched and impartial information which is fun to the ear as one consumes it. Through the team that I have to assist, we deliver an upbeat and animated yet highly informative audio visual production. I would like to encourage people to always look forward to this new lifestyle of consuming factual local and global news on the go considering the given conditions that COVID-19 has left the entertainment industry in, we encourage social distancing by suggesting an alternative medium of edutainment for us to consume in the form of XLR Xtra and Kingdom XLR.”

Being part of this unique show, how does it make you feel?

“Being part of the show has allowed me to grow and understand the importance of research and the importance of the process of production: doing the research, recording, the producing and then actually having the product play back to us before people see/hear it is humbling. Lution who’s my producer has been somewhat of a mentor to me during the whole process. We’ve worked on overall five episodes of Xtra and only two have been consumed by the public. so we had been working on perfecting Xtra for the consumer to really enjoy.”

What do you think Swazis need mostly during the lockdown?

“I think emaswati need to take the time to appreciate the pause of the ‘rat race’ of the world being at a standstill and to be calm. We need to believe in our own and take this time as an opportunity to invest back into ourselves because we’ve been consuming international content and forgetting to grow our minds and nation. So I believe we need to take the time to be introspective and support each other then realise that we are as good as and possibly even better than our neighbouring countries in terms of quality and creativity in our craft. I believe i can proudly say this with my best because I’ve seen it and heard it with the production of the Kingdom XLR monthly music compilations. It is really the time to support each other while the world gives us this moment to breathe and smell the roses. There is no better time than now to build ourselves and the Kingdom of Eswatini’s entertainment industry and I can tell that the youth wants it too, seeing how there’s new YouTube channels on the come up.”

What are some of the ideas you have for the show?

“Kingdom XLR is a broad platform that has allowed me to think outside the box in terms of creativity. Beyond creating and disseminating weekly news. We plan to announce music releases and further contribute toward getting the youth and young adults encouraged to be informed through such a platform.

“The digital age that we are living in is infested with false information and misconceptions that mislead a lot of people so though XLRXtra we plan to avail well researched and impartial facts and inspirational information to contribute to our popular culture in order to reap a future of forward thinking and well informed citizens in the Kingdom of Eswatini.”

What do you think about the increase of YouTube channels and podcasts in the kingdom?

“I am extremely inspired by the fact that we are rising to the occasion as bloggers, you-tubers and podcasters in the kingdom. This occurrence of multiple platforms created and run by emaswati online allows an establishment and growth of the digital ecosystem in the nation on a world platform such as the internet.

“It serves as an opportunity for us as a country to showcase our values and unique attributes and ways of thinking to the world. Having more content created by us in the kingdom also allows us to connect to emaswati around the world who miss the feel of home and would like to know what is happening in the entertainment sphere and beyond.”

What do you hope for the show in the next five years?

“For a long time we have been creating quality content in music, blogs, and general content that deserves to break the borders of our kingdom, into Africa and the world at large. We as emaSwati owe it to ourselves, our audience and future generations to come together in unity through the art and serve the best product to ever come out of Eswatini to the World. In the next five years I see XLR contributing towards us reaching that goal where the world respects and appreciates us in the kingdom for our art and though such platform as XLR and many other great mediums in the country.”

What would you say to people to encourage them to watch the show

“I would like to encourage people to visit our YouTube channel (Kingdom XLR) and subscribe in order to stay updated on what we offer on the platform which includes but is not limited to updates on trends, local and global entertainment news that are produced in a very vibrant and exciting way. Lastly I would encourage those who have had the opportunity to experience what the show is like to share it with their families and friends.”

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