Online Reporter
Maria Chiguvari
Zimpapers Entertainment Hub
ENGLAND-BASED Kenny “Culture K” Taguta says he is in the final phase of a project that has been years in the making.
Culture K, who is also a skilled guitarist and used to be part of Leonard Dembo’s Barura Express, was home earlier this year after more than a decade away in the UK.
Now 54, Culture K first worked with Dembo when he was just 19, contributing vocals to the iconic Chitekete album and several other singles.
In 1998, he left Dembo’s camp to pursue a solo career as the leader of the band ‘Chirorodziva Crew’.
However, due to a lack of funding and promotion, the group struggled to record new material.
Culture K eventually parted ways with the crew in 2009.
“I was a backing vocalist on the Chitekete album and worked with Dembo for about a year before deciding to form my own crew.
“Back then, releasing music was difficult because labels like Gramma Records, RTP Records, and ZMC Records demanded high-quality sound, which we, as a crew, couldn’t deliver at the time.”
He managed to record his debut solo album Kugara Kunzwanana, which featured seven tracks, but the album failed to gain significant airplay or commercial success.
“In 2009, I recorded my first solo album but it was a flop because it didn’t get much airplay. It took me over 12 years to prepare my comeback.”
Now, in preparation for his upcoming album ‘Roots of Africa’, he has released the single “Pachirorodziva,” from the project.
He expressed optimism about the new project, citing his collaboration with renowned guitarist and producer Mono Mukundu, as a major boost.
“This new project will be my second album and I’m confident most of the songs will be hits. Mono is helping me with one of the tracks,” he said.
‘Roots of Africa’ will have five tracks – ‘Ndayarutsa’, ‘Wakaringe Nzira’, ‘Tsvarakadenga’, ‘Mandivavarira’ and ‘Pachirorodziva.’
The album is set to be released in Europe during the summer festival season.
“I’m happy that finally this project is coming together. I want to thank everyone who is supporting us to make it a success,” Culture K said.
The musician is happy to have regrouped and collaborated with mbira maestro Singleton “Sungue Simboti” Takaruza.
Takaruza, a respected mbira player from Chinhoyi, won the Chibuku Road Fame provincial award in 2005 and the national Music Crossroads award in 2003.
