The Sunday Mail
STARDOM does not come on a silver platter, and artistes have to work flat out to make sure that they get to the highest level possible.While it has taken other artistes a very long time to get the recognition they deserve, some have entered the industry all guns blazing, recording success in a short space of time.
Not so long ago, the name Andy Muridzo was not mentioned when talk of local artistes with a bright future was made.
The young musician was only known for being Jah Prayzah’s copycat. And only a few ever imagined that would one day be among the most discussed musicians in the country.
Having been in the industry for less than two years, the young man is already proving to be a force to reckon, thanks to his current album “Ngarizhambe”, which has pushed him closer to the realms of stardom.
While music fans await the release of Jah Prayzah’s latest offering “Mudhara Vachauya” set to be launched on August 12, streets are abuzz with Muridzo’s hit songs “Dherira” and “Chidhafu Dhafu”, which are both doing well on various radio stations including Radio Zimbabwe’s top 20 chart.
From herding cattle in rural Uzumba, to sharing the stage with some of the top musical acts in the country, this lad’s journey to fame sounds more like a fairy tale.
Even his mother who would rather have seen him becoming a police officer as opposed to being a musician is beaming with pride.
This writer last week had a chat with Muridzo to talk about his new-found fame and future prospects.
Understandably the artiste is in cloud nine with the success of his album. And he vows to continue working hard to keep the momentum high.
“It feels awesome to have gained so much fame in such a short space of time but to be honest I cannot say I have made it yet. This current situation has just given me the platform to solidify my brand as an artiste so I will have to work extra hard in order further develop my brand,” said Muridzo.
The hype he has managed to create around his brand has equally translated to more shows.
The “Dherira” hit maker is now averaging five shows per week, with promoters scrambling for his services.
Already he has a permanent slot at the newly opened club Jazz 24/7, every Wednesday. This is in addition to a number of weekend shows that begin on Fridays and corporate shows that are held during the week.
“Since the release of my album, I have been getting more gigs which is great because although I am not yet making much at the moment, it is still a good start. I am actually surprised with the increasing number of fans who are coming to support us when we perform including people that come to our first gig at Jazz 24/7,” he said.
While critics have labelled him a copycat, the rising star feels otherwise.
“If you take artistes who sing the same type of music, like jazz or sungura for example, you cannot say they are copying each other because they are singing the same genre,” he explains.
“The same can be said for me and Jah (Prayzah) because he managed to craft his own genre and encouraged me to follow his steps which I did. So basically we are artistes who happen to sing the same genre so I don’t see a problem with that. Changing will probably only be in the way I sound but the genre will remain the same.”
This rising star has been fortunate to attract sponsors but there he somehow has a habit of spoiling the sponsorship deals.
At one point he signed a five year promotional contract with Chipaz but the deal fell apart after both parties disagreed on unspecified terms.
Earlier this year, he also had a fallout with one of his major sponsors but the artiste said they have resolved their issues and the sponsorship deal is still intact.
“The problem is that there are people who are in the habit of trying to put wedges between me and the people I do business with through peddling falsehoods.
“Some individuals are just envious of the sort of relationship I have with people like Chipaz, Jah Prayzah and any other people trying to help me. Thus, they create situations where I appear to be a trouble maker which is not the case.”
Muridzo said he will be starting work on his next album anytime soon with plans to engage numerous producers in order to include diverse sounds in the project.
A DVD with some of the songs on his current project is set to be released sometime this week.
Muridzo came on the scene in 2014 but did not make much of an impact, releasing his first album “Pakubuda Kwezuva” in 2015 which carried tracks such as “Nicky” and “Ndoenda Naye”.
While the copycat tag continues to haunt him, the young man appears to have managed to find a breakthrough. However, it still remains to be seen if he manages to keep his star shining bright.
