Music, books and so much more - meet Kriticos and his many creative endeavours

Interview by Chloé Heyart - Photography by Andrea Amponsah

Kriticos Pandelis Mwansa, known by most as Kriticos, is a multidisciplinary creative based in Brussels, Belgium. The Zambian-Tanzanian musician and book club host has an extensive track record backing his work, ranging from tours across East Africa to speeches at the European Parliament and book clubs across The Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. We sat down with Kriticos to have a conversation about his work and the motivation behind his accomplishments. 

Most people know you either because of The Book Club or because of your music, but I know that you like to transcend disciplines with your work. So tell us, is there anything else that you are currently busy with?

Well, I’m about to be a real estate agent, which is exciting. Lately I’ve also been wanting to get into voice acting and dive into that for a variety of projects, including commercials. I’ve also started writing a book, so writing is definitely something I really want to get into as well. Last year I wrote a movie script, but I still need to make that come to life. 

Back in the day I used to be a photographer and I would go on tour with artists to take pictures of their shows. My first client was OVO (sound). I got to shoot Majid Jordan, which was a cool opportunity. I’ve also sold hoodies, so you could say I’ve worked in clothing as well. I’m just trying to do as much as I can. 

Can you tell me a bit more about your musical journey and what inspired you to become an artist?

Maybe I’m just speaking for myself, but I think that if you like consuming something so much and so often, you end up learning the formulas behind how it’s made. Eventually, you end up being able to emulate it yourself. As a kid I loved to sing, and I wrote my first song at 8 years old. My mom always believed in me, just like my dad who booked me my first studio session when I was 12. I remember sitting down at the dinner table and telling my parents that I wanted to become a musician, to which  my dad reacted:  “Ok, show us something right now then”. This was sort of an audition, and he ended up booking me the studio session a week later. 

It was only until after my dad passed away that I started releasing music, though. My mum saw how I was dealing with grief and how I was using music as an outlet. She ended up sending my music to different radio stations in Brussels without telling me. One day I was out with friends and I got a call from a  radio host from MNM, a really big station in Brussels. They invited me over for an interview. In essence, my mum jump started my career. After that, we ended up touring Tanzania and Kenya and I recorded my first EP “Bemba Chegga” in between the two countries. My mum managed everything: the shoots, the studio sessions, everything. 

You’ve reached some impressive milestones with your music, including a viral video for ‘One Plus One’ featuring Exray and your single ‘All Mine’ that gained a lot of attention in Japan. What would you consider the highlight of your musical career so far?

Those things were really cool, but what hit home for me was when my little sister hit me up after listening to ‘No Ego Freestyle’ and ‘Bemba Chagga’ telling me that it just made sense to her. She moved to the US after my dad died, and the way I talk about death on these records resonated with her. I remember thinking that if my little sister who lives halfway across the world can get the message and I can help raise her in that way, then that’s something powerful.

Over the years, you’ve explored different music genres. Would you say there’s one specific sound that you’re the most comfortable with?

I’d say Afro, but soulful and spiritual sounds as well. Something like the song ‘Moon’ that Stace and I released  this year. Fun fact about this track, it’s actually the only feature Stace has on her  debut EP ‘Green Onyx’.

You and Stace also recently released a music video for ‘Moon’. How did you experience working and creating  with a friend and fellow artist?

It was honestly the best, it didn’t feel like work at all. Even the director is a good friend of ours, so we were just having fun. To see the recognition that it’s getting is amazing, it’s even been organically featured and posted on Revolt TV. It’s just fun to work with friends, and I feel like I don’t want to do anything that isn’t this anymore. It just feels natural. Stace and I have worked together in the past, there’s just a lot of unreleased stuff. She’s also going to produce my next project. 

Your last single ‘Clarity’ came out a little over a year ago, can we expect new music from you soon?

Yes, I’ve got a lot of songs under my belt at the moment but it just comes down to timetables, management and such. To be honest, I feel like I’m a bit underrated or disregarded in the industry. Certain people might not want to work on a song with me because they think I don’t have enough recognition, but I’ve got some good stuff to be dropped. I want to release a 4-song EP before the end of the year, that’s a promise I made to myself. 

Let’s talk about The Book Club. What sparked the idea for this concept?

I wanted to talk about books with my friends. At the time I was reading Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Americanah for an English class at university, and the book just really spoke to me. It’s the story of a girl moving from Nigeria to the Western world. She talks about the different facets of the West and the situations she encounters via her blog. It was just so relatable for me, and also for other people, which is why I really wanted to talk about this with somebody. I tried to put some friends on it, but they didn’t end up reading the book. So I thought to myself, I need to figure out how to talk to them about this book without them having to read it. 

That’s how I decided to start the conversation based on quotes from certain pages. When I finished my exams, I decided to turn this into an actual event. I used to do public speaking at Amnesty and other institutions, so I still had those connections. I hit up one of the event managers I knew and pitched my idea. When I moved to Amsterdam about a year and a half ago, I hosted the first edition in the Netherlands at Mendo’s. I proposed the idea to Gunifort, and he was all in. He made me believe that I could  turn this into something bigger than just a hobby. 

When did The Book Club start taking off and at what point did you realise that you created something unique?

That would definitely be when I discussed it with Gunifort. I didn’t know it was such a unique idea until we did the first private session on the 9th of July 2021. The people in the room were part of both of our networks and the feedback was great. Eventually, I ended up hosting  it at Bar Bario, then at Soho House - which was the first client who reached out to me instead of vice versa - as well as at Planthood, and it has just been growing ever since. 

What is your vision for The Book Club, where do you see it going in the future?

I’d really like to travel the world with it. At the end of the day, it’s just the curation and creation of conversation based on a book. I’ve done it in Amsterdam, Brussels and Berlin, but I really want to connect people on a global scale and create communities. Eventually, I want to use this as a tool for conflict resolution on a business level but also on a political scale, sitting down at a roundtable and having those difficult conversations with books as the medium. My dream would be to get a Nobel peace prize once I get that done. 

But the main goal is to take it back home to Africa. I learned how to read at 3 years old, and I’ve always adored  books. I’d literally carry a book with me to kindergarten, you’d catch me reading in the corner at functions and family get-togethers all throughout my childhood. When I was 17 I wanted to become the president of Zambia, and my main motivation  was because I wanted to create this reading culture that I was missing there. So yeah, that’s the essence of it, to make it cool to read in Zambia, Tanzania, and across the entire continent. 

If you could give one piece of advice to young multidisciplinary creatives who are dabbling in different disciplines just like yourself, what would it be?

There’s no difference between rain falling off a crack in the ground and the Victoria Falls (Mosi oa-Tunya). They’re both waterfalls, and in both cases, water is falling off the edge of something. That being said, whether you’re on the level of Picasso or you’re just starting to paint, you are  a painter. Who’s going to tell you otherwise? It can be hard to claim a title, but there are very established creatives who question themselves until this day, we’re all just winging it. Keep in mind that we’re all going to die at some point so make sure everything you’re doing is worth it.