ARGUS MEPO
For many years now, the musical space in Zimbabwe had been dominated by different genres, mainly sungura, urban grooves and Zimdancehall as of late.
The dominance of one genre meant that it was in effective control of the entire music space.
That is why the industry was defined according to different epochs.
The implications of this setup was very severe especially to other genres which would be off the limelight, mainly because the dominant genre would silence other genres.
Lest we forget how the urban grooves in the 2000s outshone the sungura clan and how the Zimdancehall genre buried the urban grooves sound.
This has been the setup for more than two decades now and it has given birth to new stars and shaped the musical discourse in the country.
However, with the inception of the Covid-19 pandemic it seems as if the odds have been shifting even in musical spaces.
As we speak, no genre is owning the ground.
It’s no longer about the dominant genre but it’s now all about good music.
Stars are being born from all genres, Zimdancehall has nurtured new music stars like Beezman Chipoko, Cha Sauro and Putin President who charmed fans at the recently held Kinnah birthday bash.
Within the same room, gospel artistes like Dorcas Moyo, Mambo Dhuterere as well as Janet Manyowa have been making a huge impact, an aspect that could have been impossible during the days of sungura, urban grooves and Zimdancehall dominance.
This is a noble development as it has enabled artists from various genres to enjoy the piece of the cake.
Last year, Kujata Jata, a sungura -oriented song occupied the number 1 spot on the National FM and Radio Zimbabwe while Handipere Power and Pombi were number 1 on Star FM and Power FM respectively.
Sungura was said to have been dead and buried but it has resurrected with force, artists like D T Bio Mudimba the Kujata Jata hitmaker and Mark Ngwazi, among others have been representing the sound with ease and high artistry.
As we speak, one of the biggest songs for 2022 is Fire Emoji by Leo Magoz featuring Brian Jeck and Bling 4 a song that is milking much from a hip hop, trap, drill as well as the dancehall fanbase.
This is telling evidence that reveals that as of late, no genre owns the hunting ground but it is open to every artist who is making good music from different genres unlike in the past.
This era is healthy for the growth of Zimbabwean music because it is not boxed within one certain confinement.
That’s why we have seen artists from different genres, amongst them Killer T, Tamy, Nutty O, Ex Q, Poptain, Mambo Dhuterere, Jah Prayzah, Winky, Holy Ten, Gemma, among others taking turns to shine.
Overally, the music space is now porous, accommodative and open to artists from all genres.
However, this time it now requires total effort in creating good music, nice visuals and all, and only the strong will survive.
