Lazarus Chigwandali was born in Dezda, Malawi in 1980 with the rare genetic skin condition albinism. At a young age, his brother, Petulo, taught him to build and play the banjo, and inspired a lifelong passion for music. After his borther's ultimatley passing due to complications with albinism, Lazarus dropped out of school to avoid the stigma he faced because of his skin colour and poor eyesight. His love for music brought him to the nearest city, Lilongwe, where he regularly performed on street corners and shopping malls. Now the father of two children with albinism, Laijo and Jose, Lazarus lives outside Lilongwe city where he continues to play music and develop a unique sound fusing traditional Malawian music and modern folk. In 2018 he teamed up with UK based producer Johan Hugo from the band The Very Best to record his debute album, due out in fall 2019. The American film company Ryot also produced a film about Lazarus, due out in 2019.