The Sunday Mail
Takudzwa Chihambakwe Leisure Correspondent —
THE year 2016 has been very eventful for most musicians, with all the hotshots dropping albums and singles or at least featuring on other artistes’ tracks.
The trend started earlier in the year with the release of Soul Jah Luv’s album, followed by Alick Macheso and then the likes of Jah Prayzah, Oliver Mtukudzi and Winky D followed suit. It is not yet over, as Killer T and Suluman Chimbetu are dropping their albums mid-November and early December respectively.
As the big shots are jostling for centre stage, newcomer Sam Dondo also wants to make his mark. The Afro-fusion singer, who caused a stir in the music circles with the epic launch of his debut nine-track album “Dyara Minamato”, is back with another offering — “Game Changer”.
“I decided to call the album ‘Game Changer’ because I believe that this production will have a solid impact in the music circles,” said Dondo. “As was the case with my debut album, I have worked with Munya Vialy as my producer and maintained my Afro-fusion sound that is fused with deep rich lyrics all mixed up well to send a message of love and hope to everyone who listens to my music.
“I have also added a bit of reggae to my music too just to appeal to a different segment of the market. I had initially wanted to have the reggae tracks on the debut album but after consultations with my team, we decided that it would be wiser to have them on this second offering.”
The album will be launched in Dondo’s home town of Kadoma, on December 21, and unlike last time when he had the Big Five of local music singing at his launch, this time he will only have Jah Prayzah as the major supporting act.
“We decided to take this launch to Kadoma because I want to celebrate with the people I grew up with, it is more of connecting with the roots. This is my way of giving back to the community that raised me. Besides, Jah Prayzah we will also be featuring a number of bands from Kadoma,” said Dondo.
Commenting on if he was rushing to drop a second album less than a year after his debut, Dondo said: “One needs to understand that music is my life, I write and make music all the time. Hence, if there is music I have created, let the people have it, why should I keep it to myself?
“I believe releasing two albums in a year is a very good approach in our Zimbabwean market and I will be maintaining this approach going forward — I will aim to drop an album when the year starts and when the year ends.”
