adminBruce Ndlovu Showbiz Reporter
AT the height of urban grooves’ popularity in the early 2000s, slow melodious ballads from the sweetest voices in the country competed on the charts with up-tempo songs from the genre’s wordsmiths. Crooners like Betty Makaya, Ngoni Kambarami, Plaxedes Wenyika and Otis Ngwabi found a home next to mostly vernacular language rappers like Maskiri, Sniper Storm and the ever controversial Stunner.
However, with the explosion of the Zimdancehall genre, local crooners seem to have gone out of vogue, as attention has turned to the country’s ever growing legion of aggressive chanters. The days when love ballads were the order of the day on the local airwaves seem to be long gone.
One of the crooners who has seemingly been eclipsed by the passage of time and change of tastes, is singer Alexio Kawara, who is looking to hog some of the limelight with a new album. For Kawara, the heart and minds of urban listeners are won and lost in the country’s high density suburbs.
“If you look at it now, Zimdancehall dominates in the ghetto and while there’re people who still appreciate our music in those areas, our music and shows are appreciated more in the up-market areas. As a performer it’s still possible to survive, you just have to pinpoint where your target market is,” Kawara said.
The Shaina hit-maker is hopeful for an urban grooves revival, as he like many others, is only waiting for the dust to settle from the stampede that the explosion of Zimdancehall has caused. “Whenever there’s a new form or genre of music, there’re followers and people who are true to their music ideals. Once this phase of popularity passes, we’ll see people, the true supporters of dancehall music,” he said.
However, Kawara’s comeback album has for the past two years been beset by delays. “I’d planned on releasing the album earlier but the truth is I haven’t finished it yet. This would be my first album since 2011 as I’ve only released a single since then so I want the album to be really big and have an impact when it comes out,” Kawara said.
He said his next challenge would be to make an impact on the international music scene. The key to this, he said, was to find a fresh mix between local and international music. “The forthcoming album will be vintage Alexio but at the same time, I want it to appeal to international audiences. I’m working with producers who can mix both traditional and modern styles which I hope will make me marketable on the international stage, while keeping younger listeners interested.”
Online Reporter