Biography of Ockley from Lusaka, Zambia

Name: Ockley Bwalya Manjoni
Alias: Ockley
Occupation: Songwriter/Musician/Student
Date of Birth: 21 ST November, 1994

Born Bwalya Ockley Manjoni, Ockley is a multi-talented artist whose music dabbles in genres of Soul, R&B, Afropop and Pop. The Lusaka based artist is in his fifth and final year currently pursuing a degree in Urban and Regional Planning at the Copperbelt University, the second largest institution in his country. From a family of seven inclusive of his father and mother, Ockley has four siblings; three sisters and one brother. Being the second born child, Ockley has been labelled and embraced as the musical child.

He started singing at a tender age at events hosted by his school and church. His passion for music grew and at the age of seventeen (16) when he begun to write his own music and grew to write music

for his peers. Between late 2014 and mid-2016, Ockley performed at shows hosted by the Bittersweet Poetry Zambia and events held at his University. Ockley only performed at a few events during this time due to inadequate resources. The inability to be in contact with the organizers of the various events had also negatively affected his progress. However, this did not stop him from continuing to write music.

In August 2016, he began working with a small local band in his neighborhood called 5 Notes. Due to financial challenges faced by the whole team, the band split and died prompting Ockley to go solo again. In November 2016, while at his university, Ockley met the owner of Heart Records (Studio) who was at that time pursuing a diploma in Survey in his third and final year. He was impressed with the qualities Ockley holds as a songwriter and vocalist and signed him as an artist under his studio on a one year contract awarding Ockley the opportunity to have some studio time to his name. 

Between December 2016 and May 2017 Ockley recorded his first cover which received positive reviews from the public, friends and family who demanded his original music. He later featured on three songs of which two of the songs are currently on a Soundcloud, Datafile host, Youtube, as well as playing on local Zambian radio stations such as ZNBC Radio 2 radio Chengelo. In June 2017, Ockley went on to record two of his first songs. His fan base grew as soon as he released his debut single “Main One”. Later he went on to release his second single titled “Tikaonana.” Both singles were debuted on Soundcloud, Audiomack, local blogs and sites, radio stations such as Power FM, Joy FM, ZNBC Radio 2 and 5 FM, Q television, Prime television and ZNBC TV1 in his country.

Though independent today, Ockley is currently working with a record label called Radio Authentic Music on a collaborative basis. The diversity of his music is a result of talent and hard work embedded in him therefore working towards creating and producing quality music keen to the ear and ready to stand the test of time. His self-driven rare style allows him to have a wide range of fans

giving him little or no limitation to the target audience in relation to their age group or the type of event his asked to perform at. His creativity is inborn and is mainly inspired by artists such as Israel, Pompi, AKA, Oliver Mtukudzi, Patoranking, Wiz Kid, Bob Marley, Asa, Seal, John Legend, Kendrick Lamar Alicia Keys, Pharrell Williams, Drake and Hozier, to mention but a few.

As a young growing brand and talent Ockley today continues to work hard and continues to receive overwhelming support from his fans and is dabbed to be the is next big artist ready to go mainstream and take the music industry by storm.

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