Chronicle Editor
Angela Sibanda, Showbiz Reporter
TWO local artistes on Friday proved that young women have mastered the art of grabbing attention, melting hearts and delivering more than what the audience expected from them.
Twenty-year-old poetess, podcaster and actress Michelle Tanya Moyo and 16-year-old rising singer and guitarist Yaezzy stole the show as they gave outstanding performances during the Friday Late Show at the National Art Gallery of Zimbabwe (NGZ) in Bulawayo that was well attended by local artists and arts fanatics.
The Friday Late show is a monthly show that the Bulawayo NGZ hosts every last Friday of the month. It aims at promoting up-and-coming artistes by offering them a platform to perform in front of a non-paying audience.
Yaezzy, born Khanyakude Dhliwayo, gave the audience a jazz treat that was characterised by love songs and packed emotions. It was her first time performing.
In an interview after the show, she said she was overwhelmed by the love that she got from the audience.
“I was overwhelmed by the response that I got. I felt so appreciated and since it was my first time performing, it was enough motivation for me to continue pushing my music. I’m also working on releasing an album before the end of this year,” she said.
Khanyakude, a Form Four student at Girls College uses her weekends to work on her music as her weekdays are characterised by school pressure.
Another female artiste on the lineup was poetess Michelle Tanya who gave the audience a sequence of love poems.
Her opening poem was an emotional piece on how the lack of a father’s love can affect a young woman’s ability to love a man as she grows up.
Michelle said the poem was inspired by her upbringing and it served as a forgiveness note to her father who was not present in her life.
“I’m my mother’s only child. My father was never present in my life and the only love that I grew up knowing was that of my mother. So instead of me holding that inside of me, I used his absence as an inspiration for my poem. The other poems were just a fiction of what I think love is,” she said.
Shows like the Friday Late Night have created a platform for a lot of up-and-coming artistes to be seen and most female artistes have risen to fame through it.
“With our generation, the narrative of male dominance in the arts industry has really changed. It is a slow change, but more female artistes are taking advantage of platforms such as the Friday Late Night and gaining popularity,” said Michelle.
The two female artistes were performing alongside talented artistes; Scarrah, Lamas Ellz and Khwezi, who also gave outstanding performances that kept the audience on their feet.
NGZ in Bulawayo acting director Silenkosi Moyo said the event showcases local talent and leads to collaborations and new projects for artistes.
“The overall spirit of the Friday Late Night is about showcasing and fusing art and music with different experiences of creativity from fine art, through fashion, film, sculpture, poetry, theatre, dance and so much more. It’s also aimed at introducing new artists to an ever-growing audience of people who may otherwise never get to experience this magic.
“The opportunities for growth are endless as the presence of all these various creatives and audience members in the same space always inspires the birth of entirely new unions and projects,” Moyo said.
Online Reporter