Online Reporter
Mthabisi Tshuma
Zimpapers Arts and Entertainment Hub
RUSAPE based Afro Pop, Afro Soul and Hip Hop artiste Splits Loui has embarked on a re-branding drive meant to relate more with his persona.
Born Takudzwa Man’aira, the artiste is now using the moniker Taku Splits which he believes resonates and displays his personal style.
The artiste is a social media favourite through the sing-offs which he does with Vena Gambe where they ride on a beat to belt out hit tracks from the country’s artistes and beyond.
The artiste said his re-branding to Taku Splits shows a growth of his brand.
“My stage name is something I put together in my teens and at the time it sounded cool but I need something more relatable and easy on the tongue and incorporating my real name will do better.
“This is not a shift from the work l do but a more personal oriented approach for the growth of my brand,” said Taku Splits.
He said the creativity which has propelled him to stardom is a way of celebrating local artistes whilst they still see it.
“Singoffs are popular in the UK and the US with artists like Conor Maynard doing versus with other artists where they pick a beat and sing as many songs in it.
“I just invited Vena so we can do a Zimbabwean version where we pick different Zimbabwean hits and I see it as way to give flowers to our own musicians who make timeless music,” said Taku Splits.
Taku Splits said his journey has been one of learning from the established artistes.
“I started off as a rapper then tried out singing since I would sing in church , school choir and supporters club at sports I just thought trying wasn’t bad and I liked how I sounded and kept writing and trying different styles until I got to my current sound.
“I learned my skills from a few friends that would make music in my presence so I would pick a few skills from them and later on looked up how to make beats and record on my own and did it over and over again even for other friends,” he said.
Taku Splits said he draws his inspiration from a number of artistes with the former glory of Ezimgido playing a part for his love for music.
“I grew up watching Ezomgido that had a lot of local sounds and later got introduced to the Western Sounds. I’m mostly inspired by artists that have had a long journey building their brands for example Winky D and Jah Prayzah.
“My journey has been amazing as being able to reach thousands of people via social media means a lot to me with a growing following it shows people are appreciating my craft. I’ve had a couple of Viral songs on TikTok with my biggest sound Life Yangu being used over 120 000 times on the platform it’s a great milestone to me because its my most streamed song,” said Taku Splits.
He said the obstacles he has faced along the way have pushed him to work even harder.
“There are many challenges, but I believe they are part of the journey they mould and motivate us to push harder as artists. I’ve had challenges with resources to better my production and marketing to reach a wider audience, but I’ve learned to make maximum use of those resources at my disposal as I move to grow.
“I have created so much music since I started it’s all up on my platforms, I’ve also made covers of Zimbabwean hits just to boost my following and its fun to pay respect to great music by other great musicians of this land , people have shown love to those so much so I balance it with a share of my original creations too,” he said.
Quizzed on plans as the year rolls down, Taku Splits said:
“I plan on growing my reach and do more for my brand and hopefully do more videos so people can familiarize with my work putting a face to the music.
“I also look forward to performing live on stage as I’m working with an incredible band now, so I just want to visit a lot of places around Zim performing,” said Taku Splits.
