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Vusa Mkhaya relishes Austria stay

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AUSTRIAN-based imbube musician, Vusa Mkhaya, who is currently in the country to market his third album uManyanyatha, says his stay in Europe has helped him develop his career on the global scene.

AUSTRIAN-based imbube musician, Vusa Mkhaya, who is currently in the country to market his third album uManyanyatha, says his stay in Europe has helped him develop his career on the global scene.

BY SINDISO DUBE

Vusa Mkhaya
Vusa Mkhaya

Mkhaya’s latest album, with a fusion of rich African sounds, powerful vocals, traditional drums and acoustic sounds, was released on iTunes in December last year.

The project, co-produced by Mkhaya and Austrian producer, Roman Schwednt, features Dudu Sibanda and Heather Dube of Nobuntu on background vocals on five songs and Future Sibanda on one of the songs.

“My stay in a foreign land has widely developed my craft. It has helped me to focus and look at a bigger picture in terms of music business and ways to sustain it,” Mkhaya said. “Music abroad is taken seriously and it is no longer a hobby, as some of the artistes take it to be locally. Music is business and artistes are making a living out of their craft. I urge local artistes to do the same.”

The talented musician, who has been based in Austria for the past 20 years, is credited for mentoring the likes of Nobuntu and mbira queen, Hope Masike among others.

He is part of an international award-winning trio, Insingizi, from Bulawayo, now based in Vienna Austria.

The trio, which also includes Blessings Nkomo and Dumisani Ramadu Moyo, was awarded with the Prix France Musique de Monde 2010 (Radio France World Music award) at the Babel Med World Music Forum in Marseille, France.