Lawi was born Francis Chris Phiri in Blantyre, Malawi in 1986. Lawi is an abbreviation of Nzululwazi, “custodian of wisdom” in the Ngoni language. “My parents had high hopes!” says Lawi with a smile.

“I love sharing Malawi’s cultural flavour on stage. There is more to Malawi than the famous lake! We have so much to contribute to the world artistically so I am proud to present what we have for all to enjoy.”

His stage set is a colourful fusion of original African rhythms and soul
music. With his band, he has performed with artists as diverse as jazz
luminaire Jimmy Dludlu, South African soul and funk legend Ray Phiri.

Lawi credits Malawian musician Mte Wambali Mkandawire as a major
source of inspiration and awareness of the power of Malawi’s arts and
culture.

In addition to pushing boundaries and collaborating
with creative dynamos like Ray Phiri and Angelique Kidjo, Lawi
is also actively involved in charity work and various developmental
programs in Malawi. He has worked with Plan Malawi, UN Women on HeForShe, and most notably was an ambassador for icare spearheading the expansion on Kamuzu Central Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit which saw an investment of over USD 1Million from the Royal Norwegian Embassy and other stakeholders.

” I am different and
unconventional. I don’t ‘think outside the box’ – there is no ‘box‘ in the first place! I love music. I can’t wait to share my new work with the world”. – Lawi