Chronicle Editor
Mthabisi Tshuma, Showbiz Correspondent
JAZZ musician, Charles Mahlaba Banda says public gatherings ban will not deter his growth as he has tapped into the virtual space.
He performed with a live band at the Britain/Zimbabwe Society’s 40th anniversary celebrations that were held virtually on Saturday through the Zoom platform.
The virtual event was the first this year for the artiste who is slowly appreciating that virtual shows are the way to go as public shows may just be a thing of the past due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Commenting on his performance, the 2021 Zimbabwe Music Awards Best Jazz artiste said: “It was great performing virtually alongside other Zimbabwean artistes including those based in the diaspora. It was as if we were on one stage.”
He said the virtual space is certainly the future and he will try to use this opportunity to grow his career.
“I landed this gig through my UK-based manager/producer, Philip Weiss who’s been pushing me to embrace virtual shows,” said Mahlaba.
He said he is now in the process of establishing ways to monetise virtual shows and also build a fan base.
“I’m working around the situation we’re faced with as I want to make my name known, not only locally, but internationally. Through the virtual space, things are looking up. This will boost me a lot because when Covid-19 restrictions are eased and tours resume, it’ll be easy to attract people to my shows,” he said. – @mthabisi_mthire
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