There has been an ongoing debate about hit-songs in songs in Zimbabwe for 2021 with many submissions pointing out that there have been no hit-songs this year. I beg to differ and here are some of my reasons:
Jah Prayzah
Whether you were following the Jerusalema story or anticipating Gwara on the Gateway Stream, there was enough showbiz to keep one hooked in between. Below is a wrap up of some of the buzz you could have missed when you snoozed. Do take time to catch up.
Renowned make-up artist Bridget Mawarire Campbell and her team comprising Bornman Flex Mawarire (who also happens to be her brother) and Tsitsi Munda of Real Touch Beauty Studio are the unsung stars behind the amazing looks in the Nyeredzi video.
The decorated actress, theatre director and voice over artist has acted in tens of stage plays and Films including Mirage (2020), Escape (2016), Easy Mula (2021) and most recently Nehanda in which she played the lead role. Eunice is an accomplished creative with a heart for humanity.
Zimbabwe Music Rights Association (Zimura) is often under fire for its apparent lack of transparency, especially when it comes to dishing out appropriate royalties. Thus, when the organization announced in May that it would be distributing $23 Million in royalties to local artists, the air was filled with excitement. After all, this figure was almost $20 million dollars more than the $4 Million distributed last year.
Gateway Stream has seen Winky D sharing the stage with Jah Prayzah, several other artists like Janet Manyowa, Ammara Brown, Tamy Moyo, Andy Muridzo, Sulu Chimbetu and soon Ishan, Poptain, Nutty O, Anita Jaxson will grace the platform. This is it! under lockdown and beyond this is what the industry had long since been longing for. A stable platform with a bankable corporate support.
Imagine if our music industry was a school and each artist had a different role! Which position would some of your favourite creatives occupy? Lets laugh a bit, it’s medicine for the soul….. Read, Enjoy and Laugh,
Gateway Stream has written to everyone who bought tickets for the event that they will be getting a refund. The tickets were selling for USD$2 or local equivalence.
The COVID19 pandemic forced the world into a total shutdown leaving many if not all industries paralysed. Even with the world slowly opening up, many in the creative, cultural and events industries are still yet to open 100% and Zimbabwe is no exception. Pay Per View could be one big window.
It is, after all, this particular reality that makes us anticipate new projects without hearing any of them: we have a safe bet of what’s coming: Winky D will mix social commentary with a heavily metaphoric song about wooing a girl, King Shaddy has some crazy Danmore story to tell, JP will feature a young African superstar or two while the lead single will feature a rural or ghetto Zim story. Standard.
