Stu Lasern in Botswana a dream gig for OneSpared
Thalefang Charles | Friday March 13, 2020 15:03
He decides to come and do a show with you!” Thuso Keabetswe Eric Molefe, a 26-year-old musician aka OneSpared, tried to rhetorically contextualise the message for those who could not relate.
He was describing his dream gig with Stu Larsen on Tuesday at The No. 1 Ladies Coffee House in Gaborone. Stu Larsen, an Australian singer, decided to add Gaborone on his epic world tour called Hurricane Tour that is to 11 shows in 11 countries in a month. For Stu Larsen to choose Botswana on his first time in Africa was all because of OneSpared. Three years ago the young man from Mochudi did a cover for Stu Larsen’s hit song titled San Francisco and was posted online. With the magic of the Internet, the cover song by OneSpared eventually reached Stu and he made contact with this young Motswana singing his song so well. Stu Larsen admits that he was charmed to find out that “someone in Africa, in Botswana, knows my music and is singing my song”. And so when he decided to make a first trip to Africa he chose Botswana because of OneSpared.
OneSpared said he found Stu Larsen through his other favourite artist called Passenger. Stu Larsen and Passenger are best friends Indie Folk, (at times drifting much to Folk Pop) artists who play songs about love and travel.
Their music, characterised by soft acoustic melody and lyrics about love break-ups, quitting and vagabonding with long hairs and beards, have seen them gain traction around the world. They sing songs that inspire one to quit city routines and just vagabond.
But amazingly, OneSpared is not such a vagabond. Although he says he got the wanderlust in him, he is a stable family man with a wife and four-month old child. He even had his whole extended family attend the show; something that Stu Larsen said really touched him in a special way.
Songstresses Abigail Isa and Nicole Martinez performed the opening acts before OneSpared and Stu Larsen sent everyone into wanderlust mood.