The Sunday Mail
Prince Mushawevato
THE celebrity couple of Selmor Mtukudzi and Tendai Manatsa will this Saturday celebrate their nine years of marriage in style through a double album launch.
Selmor and Tendai will launch “I Am Woman” and “Bhomba” respectively on April 28 at La Rouge in Westgate in the capital. Selmor is daughter to music superstar Oliver Mtukudzi and got married to Tendai, the son of fellow legendary musician Zexie Manatsa in 2007 in a union of Zimbabwean music royalty.
The couple decided to follow in their fathers’ footsteps and continues developing and cementing fresh trends in showbiz. Double album launches are a common phenomenon in the local music industry, however, it is very rare to see couples releasing and launching albums on the same dates.
Often couples prefer spacing their products either as a marketing strategy or simply to avoid splitting sales.
An example that quickly comes to mind is that of Baba naMai Charamba. The gospel couple has an almost similar following but they are liked for different reasons by their legion of fans, a phenomenon they are quite aware of. Accordingly, they have consciously decided to give each other space with regards to album releases.
We also have other couples like Charles and Namatai Chipanga, and Soul Jah Love and Bounty Lisa that have not been very passionate about double album launches.
Selmor and Tendai note the concept they developed some eight or so years back has brought much fun and reason for them to carry on working hard. Separate launches, they say, have never brought zeal in their lives.
“This has always been the case from the beginning. We also did a double album launch for our first albums in 2008. The launch was done at home. The double album launches are healthy because we both have different skills thus our fans have options on the same day and it creates room for healthy competition,” reasons Selmor.
“There has been debate on who is the best between myself and Tendai, these albums (“I Am Woman” and “Bhomba”) will help us settle the argument. Besides the launch will be even more special to us since it is coinciding with our ninth anniversary in marriage,” adds Selmor before Tendai interjects with a nod saying, “Zvirikutaurwa naMai Manatsa ndizvozvo (what Mrs Manatsa is saying is correct).”
Apparently between the two, Selmor seems to have an upper hand in terms of appreciation from fans, a phenomenon that Tendai begrudgingly concedes when he says “Selmor stands no chance on this one this time around”.
“I Am Woman” and “Bhomba” are Selmor and Tendai’s fifth and fourth studio albums respectively. Selmor is currently buoyed by her National Arts Merit Awards victory, which saw her walk away with the Outstanding Female Musician gong at this year’s edition of the awards ceremony after having lost in the same category in the previous years.
To her credit, Mtukudzi’s daughter is the brains behind the hit song “Nguva Yangu”, which at one point was an anthem in nightclubs, parties and was on every DJ’s playlist. Time will tell if the musician’s forthcoming project will be able to outdo the previous set standards.
In one of the nine songs on the new album “Remember Girls”, Selmor talks about empowering the girl child. She notes that some families are depriving girls their right to education and accordingly advocates for equal treatment.
“Sorry Babe”, which features multi-award winning Zimbabwean-born but South African-based artiste Buffalo Soldier, is a love song. The title track “I Am Woman”, is a song that aptly describes the nice aspects of women and the track is meant to boost their self-esteem. Conversely, Tendai who is ever cracking jokes, never mind the environment, has a voice that reminds many of the yesteryear great Zexie Manatsa. Interestingly, Zexie features on the album on track number six titled “Nyadenga”.
On the eight-track album, the lanky musician singles out “Teacher Chikerema”, a track that tries to highlight the worrisome plight of teachers who are a key component in nation developing. In “Nyadenga”, he thanks God for all the beautiful things he has in life that includes his family.
Tendai tackles crucial social messages in the song “Kuvhetemesa”, which is directed at reckless public transport drivers. He urges them to act responsibly each time they carry precious lives.
Just like any other artiste in the country, the two are besieged with a number of challenges in their individual careers.
“We now have experience in the music industry and things are shaping up but we are yet to enjoy full benefits of the trade. The prevailing economic situation is not supporting growth of our trade such that it is only through passion that we are still hanging on. “…the other thing also is our good music, Afro-jazz that is being wasted in this country has a lot of international takers and that has somewhat provided a lifeline for us. When we go out we play for genuine international crowds not Zimbabweans in the diaspora,” says the couple.
Tendai and Selmor have been performing together since 2005. They have recorded two albums together “Ndinewe – I Am With You” and “Tendai and Selmor Live”. Prior to this they had each recorded solo albums “Kudzoka Kwababa” and “Shungu”. The two decided to focus on solo careers in 2013. Following the decision, Selmor released “Expressions”, which featured “Nguva Yangu” while Tendai last recorded in 2012. The two albums to be launched on May 28 were recorded at the couple’s new studio, Manatsa Music Studios, and will be marketed and distributed by Diamond Studios.
