Chronicle Editor
Melissa Mpofu, Showbiz Editor
The stage is set for the Bulawayo Shutdown gig taking place at The Boundary tonight with one of the headline acts, Jah Prayzah promising fans a memorable event.
Jah Prayzah (JP) last performed in the city over two years ago and he has been yearning to come down as he often has a good time here.
Speaking ahead of the show that will see JP performing alongside Winky D and a host of local acts, event organisers, 2 Kings Events said all is in place.
“It’s going to be massive. People have been waiting to see these guys performing in Bulawayo for the last three years.
The response for advance tickets is too much but we’ll only start selling tickets tomorrow (today) at 11am at The Boundary,” said Dee Nosh.
He said Jah Prayzah and Winky D are expected to arrive in the city this morning and meet and greet fans before taking to the stage later on in the day.
“The artistes from Harare will be arriving on Saturday morning. Usually, when they come to Bulawayo, they drive around town so people should be on the lookout for them as they may be lucky to take pictures with them.”
Speaking through his manager, Keen Mushapaidze, Jah Prayzah urged people to come prepared as the show is going to be off the hook.
“People should come prepared to create memories as the performance is going to be amazing. Jah Prayzah has a soft spot for Bulawayo so it’s definitely going to be electric,” said Mushapaidze.
Regional acts who have been frequenting the city have not been playing so popular among music lovers as most have been feeling short-changed as the sets rarely stretch over 45 minutes. Mushapaidze said their set is going to be long enough to leave people satisfied.
“I can’t commit to the time that we’ll spend on stage as that’ll depend on the programme, but we’ll make sure we won’t perform for 20 minutes as we want people to be fulfilled, no doubt.”
On sharing the stage with Winky D, an artiste that fans always compare with JP, Mushapaidze said:
“Performing with Winky is always nice. Winky is doing well in the industry and it’s great to share a platform with artistes who’re like us. I know Winky’s team is prepared for this as well so it really is going to be a memorable event.”
Quizzed if the artiste is working on new music, Mushapaidze said new music is definitely coming this year.
“Certainly new music will be released as the year progresses. That we can guarantee,” he said. He went on to thank fans of the artiste for their continued support over the years.
“Us coming there is because of demand so we want to thank fans for their continued support over the years. Without them, we can’t go around the country performing. We always look forward to performing in Bulawayo every year and we cannot wait to hit the city.”
Reflecting on his performance in Victoria Falls recently at the Mapopoma Festival where Jah Prayzah left attendees fulfilled, Mushapaidze said it was great performing there as it had been a while since he staged a show in Victoria Falls.
“The weather on the day was bad, but interestingly, that didn’t stop people from coming.”
With the arts sector slowly opening up following a hiatus due to Covid-19, things are looking up for Jah Prayzah who is getting many bookings outside the country.
Recently, he performed at the Expo 2020 Dubai and now, he is preparing to travel to the United Kingdom where he is billed to perform at the AFREP Festival in July.
There, he will share the stage with the likes of Ami Faku, Costa Titch and Sauti Sol. On how they secure slots at international events and festivals, Mushapaidze said it has been due to their hard work and team work.
“We’ve been performing at festivals for a very long time from MTN Bush Fire in Swaziland, MaCufe Festival, Gabs Music and Culture Festival to Edmorton Folk Music Festival in Canada and recently we performed in Dubai. The upcoming festival for us is not different.
“It shows that our music keeps growing. Performing at arts festivals with other artistes allows us to exchange cultures and we also get to learn how they are doing things which is good for our development,” said Mushapaidze, adding that they are excited to once again, tour the world.
Jah Prayzah’s brand is one that is known for collaborations with big names in the music scene. Mushapaidze said they are going to work on collaborations this year and urged people to look out for them.
Online Reporter