At a time when one thinks the enigmatic chanter Winky D has lit his last boilers and can no
longer descend on the music scene with vigor matching or exceeding his past glory. Wallace
Chirumiko’s latest EP titled ‘Big Party’ has proved that the man is still going full throttle with
no hint of slowing down anytime soon, somersaulting between deep social commentary and
upbeat tunes that can shorten the winter nights on the dance floor.
By Tawanda Mupatsi
Let’s start with the hype preceding the EP. Winky D approached the release with the
reluctance and confidence of an artist who knew could command the attention of his
followers with minimal notice. His corridors were mute on this development until a few
days ago when he released two teasers, the first one being a 27 second foretaste to the
track ‘One Big Party’ which sent a ripple of excitement amongst his followers. A few days
later another teaser to the track ‘Chivanhu’ was released. While the former track’s teaser
was obviously hinting on an upbeat celebratory track it was the latter that awakened a
greater amount attention. The snippet from the Artificial Intelligence (AI) generated visuals
to the track seemed to point in the direction of hard-hitting political messaging. Across the
different social media platforms verbal missiles were already being exchanged, with some
aligning the upcoming track with their political viewpoints while some chose to prematurely
dismiss him, going to great lengths of calling for an outright ban on his music way before its
release.
Winky D being the sly creative that he is, dribbled past everyone’s expectations and for once
made rivals from across the political divide pause and shake proverbial hands in reflection,
demonstrating the ingrained power of music in uniting foes. The song ‘Chivanhu’ upon the
release of the EP was later discovered to be a critical exploration of the waning cultural
values. On one hand Zanu Pf National Youth Deputy PC Youth League applauded in his
personal capacity, the artistry of Winky D when he said, “He has become the auntie to the
auntless, grandfather to the grandfatherless and tutor to the tutorless.” On the other
extreme prominent journalist and filmmaker Hopewell Chin’ono who does not usually share
the same political viewpoints with Taurai concurred on his X handle, “Well done Winky D
and his team for producing work that stimulates thought and encourages introspection.”
Coming to the contents of the ‘Big Party’ EP, it’s an assorted dish. For those whose tastes
gravitate towards slow jams, the track ‘X Pana X’ is the perfect fit. It illustrates the burden of
moving on after failed love and the recurring call for impossible reconciliation. There is also
something for the party freaks in the form of ‘One Big Party’ which in my view will likely join
the 2026 wagon of anthems and ‘Bhawa Bhawa’. In the track ‘2 Nhanho’ there was an
interesting retrace of the heyday Winky D dancehall sound which catapulted him to fame.
This will likely have a sentimental appeal to the artist’s die-hard fans who were with him in
the humble trenches of the early days.
Winky D’s latest offerings have been accompanied by two AI videos, one for the track
‘Chivanhu’ and the other for the song ‘Makanyanya’ which is an amalgam of organic and
animated visuals. The beautiful blend of the two puts across an interesting position on how
in the midst of the rising debate on technology and the creative space, Artificial Intelligence
can complement existing creative efforts rather than being an outright threat.
While this release proves again Winky D’s musical prowess, are his unconventional
approaches when it comes to music publicity and unquestionable mass-appeal replicable in
other creatives in Zimbabwe or it’s a tailor-made scheme that is exclusively executed by
him? While we ponder on that, its head bowed to Gaffa for this impressive winter-warmer.
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