Dishing it out with Solomon Plate
It’s a Wednesday evening and I’ve just ended my day. I sit down and reach for my phone, looking at the time, making sure I’m right on schedule. I dial the line, which rings for a while before the voice on the other comes through, it’s Solomon Plate. He sounds preoccupied. “I hope I didn’t catch you at a bad time,” I say. I lament the fact that I missed the opportunity to interview Solomon in person due to COVID-19 and his busy schedule.
“It’s just as well you called now, any other time and I wouldn’t have picked up! I’m always just so held up in life,” Solomon chuckles. We begin our chat, taking a walk through the gospel artist’s journey.
It was 2017 when I was first introduced to Solomon Plate at a Winter Warmer event for charity, hosted at Manda Hill Mall. The social event aimed at helping clothe the less privileged members of society by taking donations of clothing from the public. An electric event, the Winter Warmer turned out to be a star studded event with a diverse list of beloved Zambian artists rocking the stage for a good cause. One such artist was Magg44, who had on stage with him an ever ecstatic ensemble of artists backing him up. Next to Magg44 was a burly guy I had never seen before, standing out with his nappy hair and plain white T-shirt. He jumped and sang his lungs out, ceaselessly. Incredibly energetic, I thought he was someone hard to ignore.
“I wanted to find myself, I wanted to find my sound…It took me a while because I had to be sure I was sharing the right sound with the world.”
After the set, Magg44 introduced his team. It was then that I learned the captivating and talented performer on stage with Mag44 was Solomon Plate.
It’s at this moment that Solomon performed his first single ‘Dance,’ revving the crowd up with the seamless movement of his waist and his contagious stage presence, as he danced, just like the song title suggested.
Solomon Moyo, aka Solomon Plate, started out on his musical journey by making beats for artists like fellow gospel musician Trudon Church. Hailing from a musically inclined family, it was no surprise that Solomon found himself making music his career. “I came from a musical background. My grandmother used to sing, my brother plays the keyboard and sings. And I have an uncle who was also a professional musician. Music was just something I was surrounded by,” he narrates. “Way before I started making beats, I actually used to sing. Most people don’t know this, but in 2007 I was one of the kids that sang on Muvi TV’s Kids Star Talent Competition. I even won in the first episode,” he muses.
I ask Solomon why he didn’t put himself out there sooner musically, to which he says, “I wanted to find myself, I wanted to find my sound.” A sound he describes as Afro-fusion. “When I think of my music, fusion is always the best word to describe it. Because that’s exactly what my music is, a fusion of different sounds. It took me a while because I had to be sure I was sharing the right sound with the world.”
Solomon describes himself as a gospel artist, refusing to run away from the fact that the messages in his music are upliftingand always a reflection of his faith. “If you hear my music, you’re gonna learn that I’m very proud of my faith.”
Since the release of his debut album Munthu, in 2017, and his hit single ‘Way You Are’ with its tantalising visuals, off the aforementioned album, more people became aware of Solomon’s soundvocally and production-wise. This has made him a highly sought after music producer and artist in the country. He has featured on a myriad of songs by artists such as The Holstar, Natasha Chansa and Abel Chungu Musuka. Solomon’s undeniable talent has also garnered him attention from outside Zambia landing his production and vocals on works of artists like Limoblaze and veteran gospel rapper from Nigeria and Christian rapper Da’Truth from The USA.
Unbeknownst to most, Solomon is one of the lead producers behind the Fever season 2 soundtrack for Zambezi Magic. He’s also the artist behind the new theme song for season 4 of Zuba, another Zambezi Magic production.
With a sophomore album looming on the horizon, Solomon shows no sign of slowing down. Check out his newest single ‘Kula,’ currently streaming on all major platforms.
