This year might be the worst that musician Jah Prayzah has
had to endure since the jolly good melodies of Tsviriyo that saw him break into
outright stardom in 2013.
Since the beginning of year, the award-winning musician has
survived an immense “Mute Jah Prayzah” campaign, had to rebrand from his
favourite camouflage dressing and even watched helplessly as the video of Kune
Rima got overshadowed by Winky D’s MuGarden, in what signals a waning
influence.
Traditionally by this time of the year, his troop of
die-hard fans would be waiting for another album and possibly a feature with a
foreign artiste as he has done consecutively since 2016.
However, in the past week he told a local tabloid that he
would not be releasing his 10th album this year because “I want it to be
something unique”.
Sincere as it might seem, the reason has traces of deceit.
Jah Prayzah who last year, through the release of Chitubu, claimed to be an
oasis of musical genius, suddenly needs a gap of a year to create something
unique? Sheer lies!
This then raises dust over the real reasons that might have
prompted the Uzumba-born musician to break from the yearly tradition he has
religiously followed.
His publicist/manager Keen Mushapaidze could not be reached
for comment on Friday, but a source told Standard Style that there were many
factors at play which prompted the musician to launch an album.
“First, his fan base is dwindling and he is not pulling
crowds at shows. Secondly, the economy is affecting the arts sector, including
him. Holding those big launches in a such an economy would be suicidal,” said
the source.
Lately, the Kutonga Kwaro singer’s appeal has significantly
dropped. He has tried to salvage his influence by shooting videos in rural
areas, became more active on social media and even shot the Dangerous video
starring his son, but all that has fallen on a largely unreceptive audience.
JP may be tasting the bitter fruits of apparent ties with
the government, which is unpopular in urban areas, in addition to being
Zimbabwe National Army ambassador at a time the military’s image was soiled by
the bloody response to the August 2018 and January protests that left people
dead.
Clearly thorough convincing is needed for some who have
vowed not to listen to his music again to consider giving him an ear.
Last week the musician released a single titled Sadza
Nemuriwo, which has divided opinion among music followers in the country, with
some describing it as luke warm considering Jah Prayzah’s previous projects.
Last month Zimbabwean women came out guns blazing following
the release of his track titled Fambai Nebhora, a dedication to the senior
national soccer team, which they felt was “offensive and irresponsible” because
it was “degrading and sexist” towards women.
A music critic who spoke on conditions of anonymity said
the economy has diminished the buying power of many people, including artistes
and their fans.
“Funding is low and pockets of benefactors who bid highly
to buy the first CDs may be drying up as they have proven not to be friendly
enough to sponsor showbiz of late,” said the critic.
JP and his team are at a musical crossroads where they are
grappling with rebranding his image and convincing people that he is just a
musician and not a praise singer for those in power.
How this will end is uncertain at the moment, but for now
not all is well for the Mudhara Achauya singer. Standard
0 comments:
Post a Comment