Sereetsi & The Natives

Sereetsi & the Natives is a refreshing unique voice in the World Music arena. The act's strong songwriting and performance in its debut album, Four String Confessions (April 2015) and its sophomore studio outing, Motoko (April 2018), present a fearless sound that blends traditional Botswana rhythms with Western influences, all built around the signature sound and unique tradition of the Tswana four string folk guitar.

The debut album yielded four Botswana Music Awards in 2016 - Best Single, Best Male Artist, Best Folk Album and Best Newcomer. Sereetsi & The Natives boasts of a steadily growing international performance credit. Recently, the act brought the house down at the internationally acclaimed Bushfire Festival in eSwatini (May 24, 2019) with a riveting stage performance before heading out to Europe to play the Whitsun Heritage Festival in Hungary (June 9, 2019).

In the same month, Sereetsi & The Natives thrilled audiences in Nairobi, Kenya playing the Artistic Encounters Series at the Goethe Institut on June 26th 2019 and the popular Thursday Nite Live at J’s Westlands on June 27th 2019.

Some of the act’s international performances to date include a stop-over in Chicago, USA, dates in Stockholm, Sweden and a showing at Planetta World Music Festival in Gothenburg, Sweden (2016). Sereetsi & The Natives has also starred at Ake Arts & Book Festival, Lagos, Nigeria (2018), Sesolo Festival in Mozambique (2018) and in South Africa; the Moshito Street Festival (2018), Mahika Mahikeng Jazz Festival (2018, 2016 & 2015), Kgalagadi Jazz Festival (2016 & 2017) and the Cultural Calabash Fest (2015).

The act has also played the International Jazz Day Concerts in Namibia (April 2019) and further embarked on a 10 date tour of South Africa in 2016. In Botswana, Sereetsi & The Natives has headlined all the major live music festivals and continues to maintain a busy corporate gig schedule. The act headlined the Gaborone International Music and Culture Week in August 2016 with US smooth jazz star, Jonathan Butler, and returned in 2018 alongside Musiq Soulchild. Sereetsi & the Natives has also played the Maitisong Arts Festival, Maun International Arts Festival, The Hamptons International Jazz Festival, BNSC Awards, Mascom Live Sessions, Son of The Soil and the President’s Concert. The act will in August 2019 headline the three-day Okavango Delta Music Festival, deep in the Okavango Delta and head to Zimbabwe in December 2019 for the Vic Falls Carnival.

Sereetsi & The Natives has shared the stage with, among others, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Oliver Mtukudzi, Caiphus Semenya, Jonas Gwangwa, Stimela & Ray Phiri and Freshlyground. In 2017, Sereetsi collaborated with Zambian star Mumba Yachi and South African bassist and singer AusTebza in a project called Kgalagadi Soul that played festivals in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Gaborone, Mafikeng and Durban.
Sereetsi is also considered a pioneer on the cultural landscape in Botswana. His 83 page guitar instructional book/CD on his native folk guitar tradition entitled The Solo Four String Guitar of Botswana is a ground breaking first. Sereetsi has embarked on a folk guitar...