SELF-TAUGHT keyboard player Munyaradzi Viya has for many years been in the background, during which time he also learnt the ropes as a music producer.
BY WINSTONE ANTONIO
He has produced contemporary musician Jah Prayzah’s songs Tsviriyo, Kumbumura Mhute and Dali Wami which features Motswana sensation Charma Girl as well as Dendera hitman Sulumani Chimbetu’s latest album, Gunship.
Gunship gave him his biggest break as a producer, propelling him to fame, which he said did not come easy.
At 28, the Norton-based Viya has become one of the most sought-after producers in the country with dancehall chanter Tocky Vibes, Peter Moyo, Energy Mutodi and Pah Chihera stampeding for his signature.
In a wide-ranging interview with NewsDay, Viya, who started playing the keyboard at ZAOGA church in Norton at a tender age of 14, chronicled his journey to the top.
“I had much interest and passion in playing a keyboard and I kept perfecting my skills in church. The real taste of my showbiz journey started in 2005 when I was called by Bulawayo-based Sandra Ndebele to join her band,” he recalled.
Family and church members were, however, against the move as they felt his association with the energetic dancer was improper given his faith and background.
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“After a one-year stint with Ndebele, I then joined Sam Mtukudzi (late) in 2006 as a keyboardist and the following year we recorded his debut album, Rume Rimwe, before I left for Botswana in 2008 in search of greener pastures,” he said.
He left for Botswana and joined a new studio, which had been opened by a friend. The studio needed a producer, but the studio was not well-equipped. He worked as a landscaper to raise bus fare so he could return home.
He, however, went back to Botswana three months later where he started experimenting with the keyboard and computer. With time, he grasped how to play around with different software and started making meaningful sounds.
“People started spreading the news that there was a Zimbabwean producer with a different sparkle and my name became popular among Botswana artistes. They would all come to the studio,” he said. While he was still perfecting his skills, one of Botswana’s biggest production companies, Dargie Digital Studio (DBS) offered him a contract.
“At first I declined the offer since I knew I was not that perfect to work for such a big studio which had state-of-the-art equipment which I was not familiar with. I later decided to give it a try and I produced a beat which pleased them,” he recalled.
“I had to convince the bosses that for me to be able to complete the project, I needed more time. They agreed that I would do it at my own pace. I would phone friends in Zimbabwe who were in the trade and they would tell me what to do over the phone until I finished the project. They were impressed.”
Viya said the song went on to receive a massive air play on several radio stations in Botswana and the project opened avenues for him as he started recording Botswana’s celebrated artistes, among them Slizer, Vee and Franco.
He returned home in December 2011 and had an opportunity to meet Oliver “Tuku” Mtukudzi at Pakare Paye Arts Centre in Norton.
“We had a long chat and he invited me to attend a rehearsal session with his band the following day as he was working on the album Sarawoga. Tuku asked me to play the keyboard. He later asked me to join the Black Spirits,” Viya said.
“I immediately communicated with my bosses in Botswana that I was relocating to Zimbabwe and would be joining Tuku. They were disappointed, but I had made up my mind.”
Viya stopped producing music to concentrate on his new role at Black Spirits although his Botswana contacts kept pressing him to return. Later, he set up his own production studio.
“My first project was the song Tsviriyo with Jah Prayzah. I had met him during our shows with Tuku and told him I wanted to record a song for him and he agreed,” he said. It was then that he was introduced to Sulu, who had come to his studio together with gospel musician Charles Chipanga.
After listening to some of Viya’s work, Sulu decided to have him produce his fifth album, Gunship. The project, however, came along with its own fears. He felt that if the album failed to make it on the market, that would mark the end of his career as a producer.
“Sulumani is the man I credit for my fame since he managed to acknowledge me, which Jah Prayzah did not do when we produced Tsviriyo at a time I was looking for publicity,” said Viya, who has also worked with Extra Large, gospel musicians Sabastian Magacha, Bethany Pasinawako as well as United Kingdom-based Decibel as a session instrumentalist.
