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Extra Kwazvose gains ground

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DESPITE getting a lukewarm response at their first show and album launch late last month, new sungura outfit Extra Kwazvose is fast gaining ground on the local music terrain.

DESPITE getting a lukewarm response at their first show and album launch late last month, new sungura outfit Extra Kwazvose is fast gaining ground on the local music terrain.

Report by Entertainment Reporter

The group launched their first album Ndizvo Zviripo at their first show at the Aquatic Complex in Chitungwiza on July 27 and the performance was met with mixed feelings.

Most music critics believed the group would fall by the wayside before learning to crawl while the album was immediately dismissed as a flop.

However, like the proverbial hero rising from zero, Extra Kwazvose is swimming against the tide towards the coveted land of musical prowess.

The current trend on the local showbiz scene shows that Ndizvo Zviripo in now among the most sought-after albums. Songs from the album have gained popularity at social gatherings, pubs and on public transport.

Some critics have attributed the popularity to lack of a better album to fill the gap left by the flopping of Alick Macheso’s Kwatakabva Mutunhu. Nevertheless, indications point towards the emphatic rise of Extra Kwazvose.

Even the group’s live shows have been attracting commendable crowds against many people’s expectations. Besides the first show, the group has hardly shared the stage with big names, opting to go on a solo hunt for popularity. So, when Extra Kwazvose shares the stage with Sulumani Chimbetu and Peter Moyo tonight at Pamuzinda Highway X-scape, it would be a real test of strength for the newcomers. The show will also feature Morgan and Tendai Dembo.

One of Extra Kwazvose founders Jonasi Kasamba said the group’s upward spiral was a result of their resilience and confidence in the face of criticism and adversity.

“We are only a month old and instead of learning to sit, we are already walking and very soon we will be running,” said Kasamba.

“We were prepared for rejection and negative criticism as soon as we mooted the idea to form the group. Within just a month, we have met mountains of challenges that have made us strong. Now we can join the race to claim our proportional share of fame and fortune.”

Popularly known as “The Rebels”, the group entered the music scene on a cloud of high expectations because of the talent that defines its composition.

The group comprises former Macheso band members that had already hogged the limelight before deciding to go it alone.

Francis “Franco Slomo” Dhaka, who came into the group from Sulumani Chimbetu’s Orchestra Dendera Kings, made his name as Macheso’s sidekick before his departure from Orchestra Mberikwazvo.

Kasamba, Obert Gomba and Noel Nyazanda quit Macheso’s group to join forces with Slomo to give birth to Extra Kwazvose and start the current walk to stardom. The group could soon upset some big names if it keeps its current momentum.