admintwo years and he promises to be one force the whole country will soon reckon with.
He goes by the stage name I-Wata and last week I had the opportunity to speak to him and his manager, Dunmore.
I-Wata was born in Chivhu on January 26, 1987, but he has lived all over the country in his 24 years of life. He has lived in Victoria Falls, Bulawayo, Binga, Norton and lately, Harare. He started his musical activities via theatre while at Milton Boys’ School in Bulawayo where he did both his primary and secondary education until he met Isaac Chirwa who put him on the musical map.
In 2007, according to I-Wata, he teamed up with Hotta Fire Band which is fronted by Mic-Inity (Michael Madamombe) and it is through this band that he was endorsed as an artiste in his own right.
Together, they did the nightclub circuit especially in Harare at the Mannenberg and the Red Fox Hotel.
I-Wata has since left Mic-Inity and Hotta Fire Band and has formed his own band, yet to be named.
He is busy recording a 12-track album at the moment entitled “Zimbabwe” which mainly comprises lovers’ rock, conscious reggae and dancehall – all original stuff, except for one surprise track featuring a song by Rihanna, he says. The album is nearing completion and is being produced by McGyver at Ice Rain Studios in conjunction with Blue Storm.
The launch date is not yet set but it will be sometime before Christmas and will soon be announced.
According to I-Wata, the marketing of this album is going to be different from the traditional route followed by other artistes.
Instead of giving it to a company to distribute, I-Wata and his band members will go on the streets and stand together with the music pirates to market the album themselves.
I have had a pre-libation of the songs going on the album and this is my personal view about the artiste and his music:
The variety of songs on offer are all masterpieces. Real gems.
I-Wata is extremely talented.
He sings very well and I am certain his album will be great for all reggae fans. His talents are not wasted as he has taken the lead in directing the success of this project.
I am sure the album will be play-listed on every radio station within Zimbabwe and in neighbouring countries. It will definitely make waves in the industry.
If you are looking for an album to add to your festive list, then this should be on top of your list.
It can also be a worthwhile present to those close to you”
On being asked why he had left Hotta Fire and Mic-Inity, I-Wata comments as follows: “I have been overshadowed for too long. Too often I was being used for warming up the crowds for Mic-Inity, but I realise now that I have fully matured.
“No disrespect to Mic-Inity as I look upon him as my mentor, but I think I need to go where my input is considered even more.
” The attitude in the band and mistreatment became unbearable. Even when it came to payment for my effort, they forgot that I also needed to eat.
Sometimes I felt sabotaged when my act was cut short at crucial shows. In short, I want to be my own boss in control of my own destiny. However, big up to Hotta Fire for endorsing me.”
I-Wata has not yet been fully exposed as in the past he has been confined to small nightclubs such as Mannenberg and Red Fox.
The closest he came to a large crowd of more than 10 000 was at the Lion Lager Beer Festival where his band supported Cocoa Tea and Fantan Mojah.
There he performed after Mic-Inity had completed his set and he says he was not given enough time to showcase his style in order to convince the crowd what he is really made of.
I am reliably informed that I-Wata left Mic-Inity because the band Hotta Fire was subjected to playing only old-fashioned copyright music by the likes of deceased Jamaican musicians such as Dennis Brown, Gregory Isaacs and Bob Marley.
This is the same reason Costa gave after leaving Hotta Fire.
Instead of becoming angry, Mic-Inity should listen to sound advice and start writing his own compositions. If he is not capable, then he should ask those who can, to help him. That should not hurt his ego too much.
I hope for his own sake, he will take this advice before his career nosedives.
I know humility is the most difficult of all virtues to achieve. Nothing dies harder than the desire to think well of oneself but new thinking is required in Hotta Fire Band.
Recently, the band suffered another loss when Costa, the drummer, left to start his own band, House of Stone.
Costa now plays bass in this new outfit. This band, however, is strictly a dub band. There are no vocals.
Unconfirmed reports suggest that this is the band I-Wata has teamed up with. He does not want to mention his band members yet as he fears this might upset some people. “Let it come as a surprise,” says Dunmore. I am, however, reliably informed that Costa is playing drums in this new band, while Spencer is on guitar and William on bass.
According to Dunmore, I-Wata would like to follow in Winky D’s footsteps. He wants to spread reggae music to the ghettos where it belongs.
Big Man, Wallace Chirumiko a.k.a. Winky D, who also calls himself the Ninja president, is Zimbabwe’s biggest icon of dancehall, a reggae style which he has mastered and delivers through his inimitable
Shona lyrical skill and professional showmanship.
Prior to this reggae music was isolated to the nightclubs and dominated by groups such as Transit Crew and Hotta Fire. Winky D has surpassed these two when it comes to pulling crowds as he has
managed to take this music to the masses instead of delivering it to just a few in night clubs.
However, I-Wata , if he lives up to what he says he will do, he will be yet another kid on the block who will also take reggae music to the ghetto.
This is exciting news for reggae lovers. With the coming of I-Wata’s album, a variety of choice in this genre is more secured now.
We are keeping our eyes wide open to see if I-Wata will raise the bar of reggae music to higher levels in this country. I-Wata is indeed a rising star!
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