Female artistes missing in puzzle

we can call a real diva or outstanding female musician.
A lot of females names who tried but failed in music were mentioned though they had much talent like Rozalla Miller, Sister Flame and others.

I didn’t really agree with that as I took it with a pinch of salt and much regret, but my man Bosco asked me to name at least five female musicians off-hand who I think have taken the country by storm in the last three years.

I managed to name Tia, Cindy, Chiwoniso and Diana Samkange before I jammed and my mind went blank. I really wanted to name Betty Makaya as well as Pauline but due to inconsistency I had to make a detour.

That task got me thinking about the local music scene and the role played by females in promoting our music. I had this ominous feeling after much research that the female musician is the cog that is missing in the musical jigsaw puzzle.

In true beauty and the beast context world over, it’s the females who give music that extra edge with their beauty, soulful chords, fashion as well as attractiveness.
Imagine the world without the styles, eccentricities, elegance, fashion as well as the chic of the likes of Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Solange, Mary J, Rihanna, Tony Braxton and a host of others. I mean these are what make the world go round and check the way these ladies are hounded by the paparazzi due to their appeal!

Grand shows like the Grammy Awards, MTV Awards and the Source Magazine Awards are all spiced up by the females whose presence just brings another dimension to it all.
But here in Zimbabwe it seems as if the opposite is true. Nothing has happened to uplift the works of our divas.

Up to now females in music are not being taken seriously as compared to their male counterparts who seem to have a big monopoly on the music scene. Even at live shows very few females take time to hold their shows and the situation is even worse at national events like galas.

Could be it that female musicians are letting us down or there is a bigger conspiracy out there that’s discouraging our potential divas from coming out?
I talked to a lady diva that has been in the industry for some time and possesses one of the best voices to come out of this country. She said there is much sexism, abuse and exploitation of females in the local music industry.

The vixen had no kind words for some male honchos in the music industry who still think that a woman cannot succeed without male guidance.
“A lot of these young girls are really talented and want to show the country what they have but it’s the kind of treatment that they get from these so-called producers, promoters, talent scouts that really put them off.

“There is no female musician in this country who can say at one time or another wasn’t sexually harassed or abused or even dealt like a dog, although most of the time that is made a light issue,” said this diva who said she has taken a sabbatical from music.

The diva said most females were leaving the music industry because they felt uncomfortable with some unwritten rules whereby a musician has to first sleep with members of the team she has to work with.
In fact, one cheeky and prominent producer said it was okay for a mentor to see or sleep with a protégé as this helps bring out better rapport and confidence – good cocktail for success, he said.

“Janet Jackson used to sleep with her producer Jermaine Dupri and that brought a change in her music as there was now chemistry and understanding and things were flowing,” said the dreadlocked producer.
However, impressario Joe Machingura, who manages a span of local artistes including Leonard Mapfumo, said it was a flawed way of thinking that’s going to take local music back by many years.

Joe said issues of sexual harassment in the studios were turning away females from local music, something that was detrimental to local music.
“I have dealt with a lot of females like Cindy who can match any international artiste but the problem is we hear them now and they then disappear never to be heard of again. Yeah there are a lot of things which discourage them but the biggest I think is the way they are treated at the studios by their male counterparts,” Joe said.

Joe said as a way of uplifting local divas he is working on an all-female compilation album called Lingerie that will feature some of the best female acts in the country as well as new ones.
“There are very few female artistes in the country and we have to correct that. We cannot say they are not good because whenever they release their stuff they are sizzling hot. I want to show the country that there are a lot of good females doing music out there but they ain’t getting enough support,” said Joe.

Joe said the 12-track album will feature veterans Cindy, Diana, Czara, Rutendo among others and will have a national appeal.
“We have a new lady called Deline as well as Effie who shall be on this album and also we want to spread it so that it covers Zimbabwe as a whole,” said Joe.