Jah Prayzah now movie star

Bruce Ndlovu
While he has a reputation as one the leading artistes of his generation in the country, contemporary musician Jah Prayzah is looking at film as the next frontier to conquer.

The Eriza hit-maker is set to star in the movie The Purse, which is touted as a gospel influenced epic with Jah Prayzah occupying the lead role as a spiritual warrior who has to battle personal demons when his faith is seemingly under siege from various forces.

News of the musiciana��s new acting role seems to have come out of the blue for fans of the musician who has been riding on the wave of the success of his Jerusarema . album in the last few months.

However, for Jah Prayzah, the move is calculated to maximise on his value as an artiste at his prime.

a�?If you look at Hollywood there are a lot of musicians that become actors and it just increases their fan-base and that is something that I want as well. As artistes we cana��t limit ourselves and I am breaking out of these barriers set for us in Zimbabwe with my acting. The likes of 50 Cent are doing it and so can we,a�? he said.

To entrench his dominance on the countrya��s overall entertainment scene, Prayzah said he would be starring in more big screen productions.

a�?More movies are on the way because this is something that I have always had a passion for but never thought of tackling it full-on,a�? he said.

Prayzah said that he had no concrete acting background although it was a passion that he had always harboured.

a�?I am trying out my hand at this. Ita��s basically a big adventure for me and the experience so far has been excellent. I am learning as I go along and it is fascinating,a�? he said.

The musician said going into acting was not much of a leap for an artiste of his calibre as a lot of acting went into making music videos and performances on stage. He said that his highly animated and sometimes emotional performances were just an example of his abilities as an actor.

a�?Fans have always talked about our videos and how there is a lot of serious acting involved in their making. Our stage performances are also intense and when you are on stage performing the songs ita��s like you are involved in a theatre piece,a�? he said.