10 Things You Didn’t Know About Shanti Lo!

Award winning Afro Jazz artist Shanti Lo also known as Tumediso Loeto needs no introduction in our music scene. He has dazzled audiences with his musical artistry in Stockholm, Sweden and at the Grahamstown Festival in South Africa. He has shared the stage with highly esteemed artists who include South African songbird Zahara and Swedish jazz singer Anna Christofferson. Learn more about him below.

1. Born Tumediso Kagiso Loeto, at only 9 years old Shanti Lo was a member of Watoto Band,  a combination of Batswana and South African musicians.

2. With his raw singing talent Shanti Lo has made a steady music career for himself as a jazz vocalist. It all started with his mother, Mpho Loeto, who sang gospel music and recorded an album, Letsatsi La Bofelelo, in 1997.

3. Shanti Lo and a group of young artists  founded a group called “Live 101”, an initiative led by world renowned drummer Phillip Meintjies and his daughter Larissa.

4. In 2000 he secured government sponsorship to study Fashion Design in Johannesburg at the London International School of Fashion.

5. Shanti Lo was booked to perform at the 4th Annual Mahikeng Jazz Festival, which took place at Lotlamoreng Dam on December 19th, last year.

6. “Shanti Lo” was released by So Hype Records in 2005 which included the hit “Boloi” and Ditshwanelo”.

7. The album included in the soundtrack of the film based on Alexander McCall-Smith’s “No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency” series of novels.

8. Initially the jazz artist, who sings in both Setswana and English, never thought he could make a career out of singing, especially not in his native Botswana.

9.  In 2014 he replaced DJ Sid as a an additional judge for the My Star singing competition, where he only lasted a season.

10 Shanti Lo is the music coach for boys and young men who are members of the Botswana Men of Tomorrow Rites of Passage Mentoring Program.