Chronicle Editor
Mbulelo Mpofu, Showbiz Reporter
LAST year, dancehall and reggae artiste, Simbarashe Carrington “Nutty O” Chiwadzwa thought out a plan that would ultimately bear abundant fruit in 2022. His idea was to simply produce an album that would have heads rolling in awe.
To put the plan in motion, Nutty O got in touch with renowned music producer DJ Tamuka and the end-product was the release of Mustard Seed. The album would go on to score a quintet of gongs at the recently held Zimbabwe Music Awards (Zima) and National Arts Merit Awards (Nama) ceremonies.
Leading the album was a national hit, Handipere Power which culminated in it being the Song of the Year winner at the Zimas. The album itself bagged the Outstanding Album and Best Album awards for Nama and Zima respectively.
So, when and how did Nutty O end up being a larger than life artiste, boasting of international recognition?
“It was always an innate ability that compelled him to take it further in his late teenage years.
He then sought out local producers and went through from being regarded as just another kid who thinks he can do music to a respected talent when he got his first chance to record his demos back in 2014. It has been a rising journey since then,” said Nutty O’s manager Diana Nheera.
A rising journey it has been and hurdles had to be faced and conquered along the way.
Nutty O was not an instant hit with members of the public. His was a gradual ascent.
“It wasn’t always smooth sailing for him, he faced challenges along the way. The first hurdle is when there were no resources to officially record, but persistence helped him to be taken seriously and the great vocals and lyrical genius opened further doors.
“He used the, ‘start where you are, with what you have and with who believes in you’ approach and it paid off,” is how Nheera explained Nutty O’s rise to fame.
Along the way, Nutty O joined the Military Touch Movement (MTM) Family, a phenomenal move which showed growth and maturity.
On joining and leaving MTM Family, Nheera said, “Joining MTM was a phenomenal and much-needed blessing in that it provided a career family and home where music creation was enabled without limit due to the resources the MTM Family extended in addition to exposure to a bigger audience by standing alongside other creative giants and experienced mates.
Leaving was the inevitable weaning unto even more growth facilitated by the foundation of good work ethic, quality product development, excellence and a strong fan base and network.”
Last year was a good one for Nutty O and this was evidenced by the number of gigs he accrued and his award collection. At the Zima and Nama, he was a collector.
The awards are an honour to him and testament to God answering prayers.
“The gong collection is quite an honour and a pleasant reminder that dreams come true, prayers are answered and confirmation that the vision, work and aspirations have been worthy.
The mustard seed sown has grown into an admirable tree whose shade and fruits, the communities are benefiting from and are proud to be part of,” commented Nheera.
Nutty O’s trajectory has seen him go from being just another guy next door trying his luck with music to an internationally-acclaimed artiste.
Locally, he has worked with Bulawayo rapper Asaph, Poptain and Gemma Griffiths just to name a few. Soon, he will be featured on the Love Shade Riddim by Aicon Records and will release a song titled Sinking Emotions in the process.
This is not the first time that the Handipere Power hit-maker has worked with Jamaican artistes. He was featured on Aicon Record’s Bad Cologne Riddim in 2019 alongside I-Octane, I Waata, Vershon, ZJ Liquid, Baanx Di Artiste.
He also worked with songstress Etana on her album Reggae Forever that was Grammy-nominated in 2018 and Demarco on his Mustard Seed album. Nutty O was the only featured artiste on Demarco’s Reggae Forever album on the song titled No money, No love.
This is confirmation that he is on the right path and a valuable contributor to the global landscape of music. It affirms that a BET and Grammy are in the horizon.
Of course, it is not always the studio, lyrics, gigs and interviews for Nutty O. The staunch football fan unwinds by playing his favourite game Fifa on the PlayStation console. He also loves chilling with friends and family.
Nutty O is supported by a team of dedicated personnel and has a message to fellow artistes in that regard.
“Know your own strengths and weaknesses alike, then make sure you surround yourself with the right people to propel your vision unto the intended big picture, one task at a time. Basically, you can’t do it alone and I have a song for this with Jamaican songstress Etana titled Do
It Alone. Nobody is an island so find your tribe and achieve the best of your ability,” was Nutty O’s message to fellow artistes.
The music industry is not always easy and along the way, feuds may erupt. Some of the popular genres where beef is rampant are hip-hop and dancehall, but Nutty O takes a different approach to squabbles and misunderstandings.
“Nutty O goes vegan on this one. Issues are meant to be ironed out and sometimes, by just feeding them silent positive energy, other times talking things through. What normally works for him is meditating on things and keeping a quiet distance until things align with positive vibes, they kind of always do,” said Nheera.
There is one thing that the Vroom singer does not do, resting on his laurels. His hunger for success pushes him and he is now gunning for international recognition and performances.
After The Mustard Seed album, the subsequent gongs only but “unlock a new level of operation, so, he is geared for more work, new synergies and of course in the best way he knows how musically! We are eyeing the Grammy and BET awards and through hard work and perseverance, it’s an achievable feat.”
Nutty O’s word of advice to up-and-coming artistes in the music business is, “Create your big picture now! Dare to dream big, speak and sing it forth and the rest of your career will be you walking towards those big deals.
When you know your vision, all the challenges along the way become necessary catapults to new levels. Take it all in your stride, the straights and the crooked make sense in the long run.
Maintain an unwavering focus.” — @eMKlass_49
Online Reporter