Hen House Studios released a new music compilation titled "Sounds of Malawi, Vol. 1" on July 24, according to World Music Central. Grateful Web reports that producers originally recorded 18 Malawian bands performing 85 songs during a 10-day session in 2024 at Jacaranda Studios in Blantyre. From those sessions, 14 tracks were selected for the final release, World Music Central notes. BroadwayWorld reports that the project was coordinated in partnership with the Jacaranda Foundation and Malawian ethnomusicologist Waliko Makhala. The compilation aims to document and preserve the country's diverse musical traditions for younger generations, according to Jacaranda Foundation director Luc Deschamps.
In celebrity news, the Miss Malawi pageant selection has encountered a dispute over international representation. According to Nyasa Times, Aubrey Kusakala, the publicity head for Prophet Shepherd Bushiri's office, released a statement claiming that reigning queen Thandie Chisi previously declined an offer to compete at Miss Universe for personal reasons. Following this, first runner-up Ireen Navicha was chosen to represent Malawi at the 2026 Miss World pageant in Vietnam this August, Nation Online reports. Nyasa Times adds that Kusakala's recent statement contradicts earlier explanations from the Miss Malawi Organisation, which had originally cited Miss World's age eligibility rules as the reason for bypassing Chisi.