Another dancehall gem for you

26 Aug, 2018 - 00:08 0 Views
Another dancehall gem for you

The Sunday Mail

Takudzwa Chihambakwe
CHILL Spot Records has done it again.

The record label has uncovered fresh talent in the form of dancehall sensation, Enzo Ishall, real name Stephen Kudzanai Mamhere.

The hilarious chanter is current talk of town for his rib-cracking compositions although he has less than 10 tracks to his credit.

This development comes barely a year after the Mbare based record label gave us high-flying artistes, Blot and Boom Berto, who have since gone to conquer the dancehall scene with hard-hitting vibes.

Enzo is the lad behind the track “Chiita Kwacho”, which is getting heavy rotation on national radio stations and clubs.

But the 24-year-old chanter recently dropped another intriguing song titled “Handirare Kumba Kwenyu”, which came with a video. Enzo speaks on the music journey he has traversed thus far.

“Mangoma akatanga tichiriri kuchikoro pa Churchill (I started music when I was at Churchill High School). I used to freestyle a lot and my friends encouraged me to go professional,” recounted the soft spoken Enzo in an interview with The Sunday Mail Society at Chill Spot Records.

“In 2010, while doing my form three, some producer came across my work and offered to record my first professional song at Knockout Records. I went to the studio, did my first single and people loved it.”

The positive response, however, did not result in the chanter turning his back on school. “I did not put much interest in music during that time as I was focusing on my studies. My father had emphasised the importance of excelling in school so I treated music as a hobby,” he said.

In 2011, Enzo passed his Ordinary-Level exams and proceeded to do his Advanced Level studies.

“In 2012, we moved from Braeside to Msasa Park and then to Sunningdale. This was the very same time Mbare dancehall gained full-strength. The likes of Seh Calaz, Killer T, Kinnah and Soul Jah Love were all rising. The musician in me felt connected to the movement,” he reminisced. With Mbare being very close to Sunningdale, I found myself making trips to see these trailblazers in action. I then got into the studio and recorded a track titled ‘Bongozozo’. It was a hit.”

Noticing his son’s growing interest in music, the father again cautioned his son against abandoning school work.

But the microphone trade had long set its claws into the chanter, resulting in him disregarding the message.

He would periodically sneak out of home for gigs in local bars and passa passa events.

“My father would hear from his colleagues and neighbours that I had dazzled crowds at gigs and he found it hard to believe since he believed I would have been in bed.”

Thankfully, the shenanigans did not negatively affect the youngster’s school work that much. He amassed seven points at Advanced-Level.

He is currently planning to go to university. “In October 2014, I impregnated my girlfriend, Trish Tatenda Chamaira. After that I failed to go to university as I had new responsibilities to handle.

“Early 2015 I moved out of our family house and started leaving alone with my pregnant girlfriend at a house I was renting,” he said.

During that time, Enzo got a job at Brita Chemicals but it only lasted for six months as he was reacting badly to chemicals he got exposed to.

“End of 2016 I was jobless and sick. I could not afford rent and was struggling to take care of my family. My grandmother then invited me to stay at her house in Mabvuku and things started to take shape once again.

“In Mabvuku I became friends with a guy called Munashe Gondokondo. He understood my passion for music but also realised I was sick. So he provided me with groceries for the family and hooked me up with shows whilst I penned more songs.”

lt was during this time that he penned the now famous track “Chiita Kwacho”.

The track was featured on “Panomhanya Munhu Riddim” sometime later.

“I approached Fantan and Levelz with ‘Chiita Kwacho’ early this year. I sang it for them and they loved it but told me to wait as they were planning how and when to release it.

“Coincidentally they were working on the ‘Panomhanya Munhu Riddim’ and Levelz suggested that I record the song on that Riddim. I took his advice and the rest is history,” revealed Enzo.

One could wonder what inspired this track? “Most ladies rarely give attention to a guy who has no material substance. ‘Chiita Kwacho’ is then a reflection of such a scenario on our society where guys who might not be doing well today are brushed aside by the ladies they want, only to be accepted when they make it in life.”

Apart from music, the chanter also acknowledges the existence of the Almighty. He says he wakes up to pray at 5am every day.

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