Elias Domingos Henheque, known by his stage name as Lopinho (LP). Lopinho was proudly born in Mozambique, Africa. He grew up in modest conditions with his mother which made living a real daily struggle. At a young age, Lopinho went to live with his father for an opportunity for a better life and education. He finished high school in 2012, after which time he majored in Management and Cultural Studies, graduating from The Instituto Superior De Artes e Cultura in 2018. During his time in school, Lopinho built a music studio to empower his community’s music artists and talents, the studio was called LPS Studio.
Listening to his idols inspired him to invest in English courses with the intent of spreading his message worldwide. “My big dream is to spread the message of unity for the whole world, not just my community,” says Lopinho.
During 2017 he founded Association WBA (We Born In Africa) that works to empower Local African Communities about Education, Health, Agriculture, Identity, Arts, Entrepreneurship and Nutrients. A Manager, Producer and a Teacher of Entrepreneurship at 15th Secondary School, his song “Legendary” was the most popular song in Mozambique between 2015-18.
Now signed to independent label Excitement South Entertainment, who have high hopes for the artist, Lopinho has dropped the single, “We Born In Africa” ft. Ivan Will. For years, anthropologists and archeologists believed that Asia held the answers to their questions about the origins of mankind. So when a set of hominid remains was discovered in Africa in the early 20th century, it took a while for scholars to accept that they may have been wrong.
Lopinho’s song takes its cue from that aforementioned premise, indicating that no matter what race we are, or where we were physically born, we were all in a sense, born in Africa since that is where life for mankind started. “You can be a white man, you can be a black man, we are the same,” raps Lopinho. Alongside him the mellifluous voice of Ivan Will croons out the same message.
For those of us who care about equality, in all of its forms, it can often feel like a frustrating battle. For many, like Lopinho it forms part of his life’s work as well as his passion. While we can celebrate how far we have come, we constantly need to be reminded of how far we still have to go. For those of you still keeping the hope alive, “We Born In Africa” ft. Ivan Will, is an uplifting and empowering anthem about being equal.
Built on a mid-tempo swinging beat and an infectious melody, with Lopinho’s captivating rasp driving the rhythm, “We Born In Africa” ft. Ivan Will gives us the hope that through equality change will come, and that we can play a tangible role in making that change become a reality.
Moreover, Lopinho confirms through the song’s message that Africa will be a big part of that change, hence we should have unconditional pride and faith in the continent. This is a great song to play if you’re ever feeling discouraged or exhausted by systematic inequality and the degrading of Africa. If Lopinho and Ivan Will believe, then we all can.
OFFICIAL LINKS: YOUTUBE – SOUNDCLOUD – RECORD LABEL – FACEBOOK LOPINHO – FACEBOOK LABEL – INSTAGRAM LABEL
