The Sunday Mail
IT took him one and half years after the demise of his legendary father, Tongai ‘‘Dhewa’’ Moyo, to produce a debut album and today on the third commemoration and celebration of his life, son and heir apparent Peter will launch a first DVD album.
Moyo died on October 15, 2011 after a long battle with cancer and this year’s commemorations began last week with the official unveiling of “Mushonga” Mukuru video album in the musician’s hometown, Kwekwe.
And, the commemorations continue today in the capital at the popular Harare Gardens that has become home of the annual event.
In an interview last week, Peter aka “Young Igwe”, who has had a fair share of controversy ever since taking over the reins at Utakataka Express, said the experience he went through soon after his father’s demise helped mould him into a resilient character.
The Kwekwe-based musician said he is thrilled to honour his late father by releasing the debut video album at a time he (Tongai) passed on.
The firebrand musician came under fire from a sizeable number of his fans in the period between 2012 and May, 2013, after he had on more than a single occasion failed to meet his own set deadlines for the release of Mushonga Mukuru.
So intense was the criticism that the lad ended up being emotional each time he was asked about his failure to put new material on the market. His argument then was “I need time”.
But while this time around he has managed to self fund and record his first DVD at his own pace with little or no pressure from the ever highly demanding Utakataka fans, Peter concedes that he put himself under pressure.
This is understandable given the fact that his father was second to none when it came to producing quality videos. A perfectionist by nature, Dhewa most of the times took the top spot on video competitions that were held on ZBC television.
In fact, Dhewa made sure that he made public the budget of the costs involved in the shooting of his numerous video albums. And a greater chunk of the money was chewed in costumes for the group members for each of the videos while the difference went into the cost of shooting.
The videos were also an opportunity for the late musician to introduce his new stage regalia like the weird-looking Kassamoto outfit and the Prada suits which he often referred to as “Prada System”.
His most popular video albums include Samanyemba, Pakanaka Dhewa, Naye and Dhewa Love Songs (Collection).
“I put myself under a lot of pressure on this project. It is always easy to introduce new things but in this case we tried to match standards that were set by Tongai,” said Peter.
The young Igwe, however, hastily added that he was confident the project would win the hearts not only of Utakataka fans but any serious music follower.
And apart from the aforesaid challenge, Peter notes the issue of funding threatened completion of the DVD project. The musician says he financed three quarters of the project from his own pocket since sponsorship was elusive.
“I believe we have improved a lot as a group. This is one of the best projects that Utakataka has done so far and I’m sure it will be well received not only by our fans but everyone who gets an opportunity to see what it has to offer,” said the Kwekwe-based musician, adding, “sponsors were not forthcoming.”
With the video album having already started circulating, it remains to be seen whether the project will live up to the claims of the artiste. However, while Peter might have challenges in imitating his father’s vocals (voice), the same cannot be said about his dancing and dress code.
The Young Igwe has proved to be a better dancer than Dhewa and is also fashion conscious. So with him concentrating solely on dancing, the project is likely to reveal the other side of the young lad.
The DVD, which will be marketed and distributed by Utakataka Express, features Ndiro Yababa, a song that was done by Tongai on his last offering Toita Basa. The other songs are Pasirino, Tutsotso, Konzi and Mushonga Mukuru, all on Peter’s debut production.
Most of the work on the project was done in secrecy due to fear of piracy.
Visiting Botswana artistes Slizer and Charma Girl together with local artistes like Alick Macheso, Somandla Ndebele, Shiga Shiga, First Farai, Beverly Sibanda and Zoey Sifelani are expected to provide entertainment.
Zim dancehall artistes like Killer T and the high-flying Tocky Vibes who feature on the Dhewa Riddim, a Zim dancehall dedication to the late sungura star, will also be part of today’s commemoration gig.
