AFTER trading as a kwaito musician for long, Bulawayo musician, Hwabaraty, real name Japhet Mlauzi, struck the right chord after merging all the genres he has mastered in one album dubbed Woza Nhlanhla.
By Sindiso Dube
Woza Nhlanhla is Hwabaraty’s second album after Kasi Lami, which was solely a kwaito album.
Not only did Hwabaraty package a variety of genres like maskandi, kwaito and imbube, but he managed to rope in top musicians in a bid to make the album a hit.
Jeys Marabini, Sandra Ndebele, Vusa Mkhaya and Noma Nkwali feature in the 11-track album.
“The album is a roller-coaster that I dig deep and talk about my life, struggles I have faced and triumphs, the joys and pains. Woza Nhlanhla encourages the listener to get up and get going,” he said.
Jeys Marabini featured on the title track, which has been making waves on Skyz Metro FM in the past weeks. The song is accompanied by a video, which has received favourable views on Youtube.
“I am proud to see what my boy (Hwabaraty) has done, I have been nurturing him since day one. At first, he used to perform kwaito, but I encouraged him to use live instrumentation and also to include our traditional sound that lasts the test of time,” Jeys Marabini said.
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Sandra Ndebele featured on a track titled Izulu Kaline, a rain prayer.
Reigning Zimbabwe Music Awards best acappella musician, Noma Nkwali features on an emotional track Ngiyakhumbula, which talks about how Hwabaraty lost his mother.
The tribute track appeals to everyone, who lost someone special in their lives.
“It was very easy for me to get any feature I wanted on the album, it makes me feel happy if seasoned artistes believe in young talent. I am grateful for their contributions and I look forward to work with them more,” Hwabaraty said.
The album was launched on Thursday night at a colourful ceremony at the National Art Gallery in Bulawayo, which was attended by several artistes and many players in the arts industry.
