The Sunday Mail
Andrew Moyo —
A few months ago, the name Mbeu did not elicit any interest from music lovers — not any more. The talented musician, real name Ashton Tapiwa Nyahora, has had a good year behind the mic. His popularity grows with each passing day.
Getting his first shot on the big stage at Sam Mtukudzi’s commemoration gig in March, the artiste struck the right chord and won the hearts of many music lovers with his mesmeric performances. While sharing the stage with some of the biggest acts in the country who include Oliver Mtukudzi and Jah Prayzah might have greatly contributed to his visibility, it cannot be disputed that he is hard working and talented.
Last Sunday he pulled off an exceptional performance when he warmed up the stage for Jah Prayzah at a family show they jointly held at Extra Mile. Doing an average of four shows per week at venues that include Jazz 24/7, Pakare Paye, City Sports Bar, and Time & Jazz among others, fortune seems to be smiling at the young man.
Speaking to The Sunday Mail Leisure last week, Mbeu said he is grateful for the opportunities coming his way.
“This has been a great year because many doors have opened for me and my brand has grown tremendously over the past few months. It is hard to believe that I have covered so much ground in such a short space of time because when the year started nobody even knew who I was.
“Right now I am performing alongside some of the best acts in the country and I even have permanent slots at some top clubs in the capital,” said Mbeu.
The 24-year-old Harare-born artiste is what some might call a late bloomer in the music industry as he developed an interest in the art later in life unlike most artistes who develop the interest in kindergarten. Having spent his childhood in the high density suburb of Glen Norah, he moved to the dormitory town of Norton when he was in Grade Five, which is where he has been based for the greater part of his life and also where his musical journey began at the Anglican Church.
“I was not a musical person until I joined the church choir in 2008 and that is when I realised that I could actually sing. The following year I was chosen to be the choir master and this sort of gave me the confidence to pursue a career in music.”
After his stint in the church choir, in the year 2010 he decided to seriously pursue a career in music.
“I started off doing urban grooves and even recorded a couple of songs at a friend’s studio but it was nothing really serious. The first song I recorded was titled ‘Mbeu’, and since some people didn’t know my name they would just call me by the title of that song and as time went on I ended up adopting the name,” he explained.
The young man started frequenting Pakare Paye Arts Centre where he met Admire Maponde and Kondwane Thete. This would lead to the formation of Tsvete in 2011. Tsvete was a promising group but after failing to make a significant impact in the industry, group members pursued other careers while Mbeu pushed on as a solo act.
“After the other guys left last year I stayed at Pakare Paye and tried to learn as much as I could, doing solo performances before forming my own band, Mhodzi Tribe, at the beginning of this year.
“Being included on the line-up of Sam Mtukudzi’s commemoration gig was a blessing because that was the first time I played for a such a big audience.
“It was at this gig that many people got to taste my music and since then I have been getting more and more gigs and I am just grateful that people are actually appreciating my brand.”
While many of his relatives were not comfortable with Mbeu becoming a full time musician, they are now supportive after seeing the progress he has made so far.
“I am earning a living doing what I love doing.”
The young talent might be a good catch to many ladies out there but unfortunately Mbeu is off the market as he got married a few months ago and is expecting his first child. Some of the artiste’s songs that have become fan favourites include “Nguva”, “Mavanga” and “Chimbada”, which has a video that spent five weeks on the number one slot on the youthful TV programme YTG.
Mbeu is currently working on his first album “Mhodzi Dairies”, which is set to be released next month.
