The Sunday Mail
Dennis Chimanzi
VISUALLY-IMPAIRED musician Daniel Gonora is a happy man.
The artiste, who has entertained thousands of people on the streets of Harare, particularly in the Copacabana area, believes his recent trip to Milan, Italy, has opened a new chapter in his life.
Gonora, who leads a family band by the name Gonora Sounds, which includes his children, said he now wants to change the way he conducts business.
The band was invited to perform in Italy by Ferdinando Arno, of the award-winning album “The Gathering”. The album also features Gonora Sounds.
“Life has to change for me and the band following our trip to Italy. I managed to secure state-of-the-art instruments that consist of guitars, drums and many other things we need in our music business,” said Gonora.
The musician has spent the past two decades playing music on the streets. This has been his major source of income, but his music career has not yet blossomed due to limited resources.
Critics believe the musician and his family are gifted, and have the potential to scale dizzy heights, with proper financial support and equipment.
“With the latest development, everything is going to improve. I want to do things professionally and hold live gigs like my colleagues. I’m shifting my focus to the big stage. In a short space of time, I believe I’ll be able to cover a lot of ground and grow my fame throughout the country.
“I’m going to use some of the money we received from Italy to fund our upcoming album titled ‘Pachipamwe’, which we are still working on in the studio,” added Gonora.
The 52-year-old singer and guitarist said he was going to approach other musicians for joint shows.
“I want to play with them as a curtain raiser. I already have cordial working relations with Simon Mutambi because he works with my son (Isaac), who is his drummer. I also want to approach Romeo Gasa, Mark Ngwazi and many other musicians.”
Gonora has two wives. He owns a house in Stoneridge, Harare, and rents another in the same area as his wives live separately.
“I’m a polygamist, thus, I have to work hard for me to be able to support my big family. It is my hope that my revenue from music will increase by going professional. I want my brand to be as big as that of other musicians,” he said.
The musician added that in Milan, he had learnt a lot of marketing strategies.
“In Milan, I was taught a lot about how to market my music. I got to understand digital marketing, uploading of our content on YouTube and Facebook, among other platforms, and how to monetise it.”
