Ba Shupi goes gulewamkulu

Andrew Moyo
ENERGY, creativity, versatility and talent are some of the characteristics that best describe Ba Shupi, real name Peace Ndlovu.
There has never been a shortage of surprises from the gifted vocalist whose musical career resembles a chameleon, switching from one genre to another at ease.
Arguably one of the most talented collaborators of our generation, his versatility has allowed him to fuse his sound with artistes from various genres producing captivating music in the process.
And the adventurous Ba Shupi has once again put another twist to his music, adopting the sounds of gulewamkulu for his upcoming album titled “Zvigure”.
He sampled some of the songs off the forthcoming project in his bubbly performance at the now popular Jam Session held every Monday at City Sports Bar in Harare.
Judging from the crowd’s response, it would perhaps not be wrong to conclude the pending project will open a new avenue for the musician on the entertainment scene.
The supercharged music fuses traditional Gulewamkulu sound with an urban feel, and combine that with Ba Shupi’s lyrical prowess you will certainly get a splendid result.
In an interview with this writer soon after his Jam Session performance, Ba Shupi said he was confident “Zvigure” would be a huge success.
“The new music that I’m working on is going to be the sound of the year, just watch the space,” boldly declared Ba Shupi.
“This project might be experimental but so far I am impressed with what we have managed to produce and I guarantee that people will break their legs dancing to the music.”
In terms of traditional dance and music, Gure or Nyau is one of the most popular on the local scene despite having foreign origins.
But some people who are not familiar with the culture are afraid of the dancers and their music because of the various superstitions associated with them.
Conversely, Ba Shupi has a totally different view and is set to usher the culture into the mainstream entertainment circuit.
“I have realised that while some people are afraid of ‘Zvigure’, they still enjoy their music and dances which is why you see that wherever they perform, huge crowds gather around.
“My aim is to bring their music into popular culture by modernising the sound so that it will be easier for a wider audience to consume. Many artistes have fused various traditional sounds with their music but I am yet to hear anyone who has done Gure music,” said the musician.
Growing up in the Masvingo area, Ba Shupi was exposed to various cultural dances and the Gure culture is among his favourite.
“I grew up in Masvingo and I have also been to places like Shamva were this culture is greatly appreciated so I have always been a huge fan and this album will be my own way of promoting the culture on a larger scale.”
Some of the tracks to feature on the forthcoming album will first be released as singles before a final compilation is made later on. With a production team comprising of the talented Oskid and Jeepers, this project is something to look forward to considering the aptitude of the individuals in question.
Ba Shupi generally regarded as a collaborator of repute a phenomenon that has, however, had many argue that he cannot make hit songs on his own.
But the “Mapena” singer thinks otherwise.
“Many people say I thrive on collaborations which is why I’m not featuring any other artiste(s) on this project. I want to prove I can make hits as a solo act. Ini ndakaipa semukanwa meshumba, mirai zvenyu muone (I am as dangerous as a lion’s mouth, just wait and see),” he explains.
“I have already recruited Gure dancers who I will be performing with at my live shows and they will also be part of the video’s accompanying the album.”
Ba Shupi started off his arts career in theatre at a young age and growing up his life was embroiled in drama, dance and music.
His first album, “Twunonaka” came in 2011 followed by “Zvinonaka” the following year.
But his most outstanding moments came when he did collaborations with artistes like Stunner, Pee Kay, XQ, Soul Jah Love among others. His ability to create catchy hooks has made him popular among many music lovers.
Meanwhile, Ba Shupi will be touring Denmark in August where he is set to perform at the Svendborg Sound Festival.