Chronicle Editor
Mthabisi Tshuma, Showbiz Correspondent
Last October, Bulawayo artistes realised their long cherished goal of coming together.
A record collaboration of 18 artistes produced a single track titled Masiyephambili that closed a digital divide as the song was recorded in four locations from three countries.
In exactly two weeks, audio clips for all the artistes had been recorded in Bulawayo, Harare, Austria and South Africa.
For the visuals, just one month was enough for Veins Media to capture picturesque stills and videos that resembled the city’s future arts generation and tourist attractions considering that Bulawayo is one of the oldest cities in Zimbabwe.
After listening to the song, one is left in no doubt that the artistes are destined for dizzy heights. The song has elements of rap, spoken word, afro-pop and hip-hop among other genres.
Saturday Leisure caught up with all the featured artistes, producers and videographer of the project to get a feel of the emotions behind being part of this esteemed project that is making waves in countries like Eswatini.
Below is what the artistes had to say:
Vusa Mkhaya
The brains behind the project, Vusa Mkhaya, the legendary imbube singer said: “It’s been my passion for a long time to see Bulawayo artistes come together. I feel like we have a lot of talent in our city but some of these artistes never get a platform for exposure, both locally and internationally.
“Seeing that most artistes were not performing due to Covid-19 restrictions, I then decided to have a collaboration with artistes from Bulawayo. All the artistes were hand-picked and it was delighting to work with most of them as they all brought their own specialty.”
Desire Moyoxide
The outspoken poet said: “Collaborations have always been there but this one is a rare idea driven by selfless passion, unity of purpose and cultural pride.
“It’s a collaboration by us, for us. We have grown on our own and we don’t beg.”
Prince Joel Nyoni
The talented auxillary keyboardist for Ngoma Ingoma and Band Fusion said: “Working on the Masiyephambili project was one of the most important things for me as it promoted the place I belong to. Having to work with all those amazing artistes, following their dynamics and matching their singing was a beautiful journey.
“Vusa Mkhaya is a legend to me as he’s a man I’ve looked up to for so many years. So being invited by him for a project like this was a dream come true. I just wish Cal Vin was alive to bring his flavour onto this project too.”
Asaph
Zimbabwe’s rap king who is flying high with his nomination at the MTV Africa Music Awards said: “It was a great experience working with all the different artistes on Masiyephambili. It made me realise just how diverse Bulawayo talent is and how we can actually complement each other in uplifting arts in the city.
“I learnt that there’s power in unity and strength in numbers so I’m really looking forward to collaborating more with different artistes from the city.”
Cingi
The Afro-fusion musician said: “First and foremost, it was such an honour. I remember meeting the guys and feeling great to be among such talent. I appreciate the diversity and uniqueness of each and every one of them and above all, the atmosphere of love that was there reminded me that indeed it was not a competition. We aren’t competing among ourselves but we need to help each other express ourselves better. The whole experience was humbling.”
Novuyo Seagirl
The house songstress said: “I’ve always dreamt of being part of something so powerful with a resemblance of unity.
We as Bulawayo artistes have always been more like in a race with each other.
“We’ve lacked that togetherness and this production is proof that together we can achieve a lot. It has strengthened our city’s music industry and if we keep things like this, we can achieve much more.”
“If you look at the views and comments on the song’s video, you can tell that the song is bringing the people of Bulawayo together.”
Killemol
The hip-hop artiste said: “Being part of one of the biggest collaboration from Bulawayo was a super experience. This gave hope to our people in these difficult times and the connection will forever be cherished.”
Vuyo Brown
The contemporary gospel muso said: “Collaborations always bring opportunities for growth. The ease and smoothness of working on this song taught me how much Zimbabwean artistes can achieve when they just decide to go out and do something together.
“It showed that we can complement each other and produce something great without losing our own individuality.”
Lamas Ellz
The hip-hop musician said: “Masiyephambili is the biggest project I’ve ever been part of in my whole career. I compare this project to NdiKhokhele by Jub Jub and various South African artistes. It made me realise that I can never stand and do things alone as the power is in working as one.
“The project has boosted my career as my following has increased. People are starting to appreciate my art more and I’m really grateful for the opportunity that Vusa Mkhaya gave me.”
Qeqe
The afro-soul songstress said: “It’s always great collaborating with different personalities as they bring different vibes and energy. In this project, I got to see other acts in their zones and their work ethics, something which was encouraging and empowering.
“It also gave me an opportunity to expand my market and tap into the other artistes’ audiences. I’m now looking forward to having more productions in and out of Bulawayo that get artistes to work together.”
Mimmie Tarukwana
The RnB and Soul vocalist said: “For me this collaboration was powerful in the sense that it united Bulawayo artistes, both old and young. It was an honour to work with all these talented creatives and it taught me to be proud of where
I come from and the importance of representing the city well at all times.”
Lady Tshawe
The poet said: “Creating has always been fun, however, being able to create with other creatives gave new meaning to the process. It made me a believer of unity and made me an advocate for unity with purpose in Bulawayo. This collaboration goes beyond the music, the lyrics or the visuals.
“This collaboration speaks to all, is for all and gives hope to all. The different genres shows us that we can go beyond tribalism and definitely work together as one.”
Mawiza
The kwaito sensation said: “It was a whole different experience for me. I had to move out of my comfort zone because I was used to my kwaito mid-tempo beats. I had fun trying out something new. The collaboration taught me the power of collective effort and that together we can make Bulawayo shine again.”
T3rry tempo
The hip-hop chanter said: “Masiyephambili is more than just a collaboration of Bulawayo artistes, but it is a calling and a message expressed in a beautifully unique way by Bulawayo loving citizens in the form of this remarkable piece which shall be remembered even decades into the future.”
Mthabisi Moyo
The guitarist who is one of the producers of the Masiyephambili song said: “I was one of the first artistes Vusa Mkhaya approached and it was just an idea which sounded very good so I jumped in though I had no idea that the song would end up with so many musicians. I’m so honoured to have worked with such gifted musicians.
“As one of the producers of this project, I learnt a lot. It was a lot of work, but I enjoyed the whole process as the lyrics were so encouraging and brought hope to Bulawayo musicians.
“One thing that stood out for me is that no matter how good you are, you definitely need to work with others and be open to different ideas as two is better than one. A big shout out to Vusa Mkhaya for giving us this platform to shine.”
Njabulo Moyo
The fast-rising poet said: “It’s been a learning experience on what other players in the music industry go through in producing music. The song has taken me to another level and I see growth and success for everyone who featured on this song.”
Tazz
The Afro-pop artiste said: “It was great working with like-minded people with good leadership skills. This song showed that Bulawayo is one and I’m sure more of such are going to be produced. It’s definitely going to be a great year for the music sector.”
Erastus Nleya
The producer said: “It was a challenging and yet a lovely experience working with different artistes. To hear the same song being interpreted from different genres and backgrounds was really refreshing. With all that, I believe nothing is impossible with art in Bulawayo.”
Veins Media
The graphics company founder, Prince Msipa said: “I’ve learnt that if people put their heads together, there’s nothing that can hinder them. It was an honour to show the city’s long time monuments and the people’s way of living through visuals.
“This project should serve as an eye opener for many artistes to get out of their comfort zones and showcase their strengths to the world. — @mthabisi_mthire.
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