Stop imitating international acts!

R-Kay The Big Stage
There is nothing that puts me off when I attend an artiste’s concert than to find them starting their repertoire with covers of some American or western musician whether alive or dead.

The fact is that no matter how talented you are, you can never do it better than the original songwriter and singer.

Do you know what message you communicate when you do that? Do you think you are adding value to your set and do you think by doing this you get immediate attention? Then you climb up on a hill and want to claim international status and recognition. Allow me to say those days must go and have gone. We don’t have a second chance to live so use any opportunity to present your story

There is nothing that kills a concert vibe and audience expectancy and participation like starting off with a song that they don’t know and have never heard. While its your show, not all your material will wow the fans so to set the house on fire, start with one that gets everybody into a frenzy immediately.

I was emceeing a big concert where some of the best of Zimbabwean musicians performed and I noticed that they don’t have a desire to wow the audiences but rather would like to go through their song repertoire as they feel.

Forgetting to even tease the audience with one of their current hits and then go into other songs.

I understand the need to introduce new material but at what point of the show do you do that? Always remember the first 10 minutes is the most important because that’s when you set the tone and colour of your show. That’s where you either gain or lose the fans.

Have you noticed that in Zimbabwe there is what I want to term CD or studio voice and live stage voice. Notice something, the two voices never match. What you hear on an artiste’s recorded project is not what you hear when they get on to the stage.

Okay, you have gone to the studio and have seen the effort that the producer has put in making you sound great, even added some effects and voice tuning gadgets, then straight from that experience you go boldly on to a live stage and perform. That’s rather silly. You are not equipped to handle the game.

Some songs that we listen to on radio will never be reproduced on stage by most of these artistes especially vocals. Guys don’t fool yourselves. Time for reality check as you mumble and fumble about being left out on other regional and international platforms. Get it right in studio and on the stage.

Nothing beats practice, nothing beats hours of doing the same thing over and over again .

Fellow musician I wish to invite you from today to stop wasting your time performing songs from other artistes whether in the region or abroad. All you are doing is endorsing then and giving them more visibility dominance and a greater market share.

Lets fill the air with our sound, lets enjoy playing our own music at our parties festivals and gatherings .