JAH Prayzah’s fans that had been rattled by his departure from the traditional sound that made him a darling of many and catapulted him to stardom will have something to celebrate as his new offering — Chitubu (Spring) — carries many such songs.
BY WINSTONE ANTONIO
The musician’s manager, Keen Mushapaidze, told NewsDay Life & Style that the album, which is the ninth in Jah Prayzah’s catalogue, will be launched this Friday at the Harare International Conference Centre (HICC).
Mushapaidze said, while the new album also had tracks targeted at international fans, the Jah Prayzah of old resurfaced in a number of traditional songs.
“Chitubu has numerous traditional songs as requested by the fans,” he said. “But it will also carry a pinch of the new trends for their international fans. The album is good, but the acceptance is in the fans who decide whether to endorse the music or not.”
He has called on their fans — affectionately branded masoja (soldiers) — to come to in their numbers and witness the launch of his ninth album this Friday at HICC.
After the Harare launch, Jah Prayzah will take the 12-track Chitubu to Bulawayo the following day for a second launch for his fans in Zimbabwe’s second capital and its surrounds.
However, the road trip, which was part of the highlight during the launch of Kutonga Kwaro last year and made up of a huge convoy, has been suspended. Mushapaidze said the Military Touch Movement is now geared up for the launch with a series of rehearsals at their studios.
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He said the new album was produced mainly by DJ Tamuka, but also features Tanzanian and Kenyan producers in a reflection of Jah Prayzah’s music journey this far.
“The idea behind the title track Chitubu is that Jah Prayzah is the ‘spring’ that keeps pumping out water. He keeps churning out music for both his local and international fans,” he said.
He said Jah Prayzah invested a lot of time and thought into the latest production, to be accompanied by a video of the track Dzamutsana, a love song that speaks of a man stalking a girl in a traditional set-up.
Mushapaidze saluted the fans for supporting Jah Prayzah, who collaborated with Kenyan outfit Sauti Sol and Tanzanian musician Rayvanny from Wasafi Music. Nigerian icon Patrick Nnaemeka Okorie aka Patoranking also features on the track Follow Me.
Advance tickets for the launch are selling for $15 standard, $30 VIP and $100 for the VVIP.
Meanwhile, some music pirates in Harare have already started cashing in on unsuspecting Jah Prayzah’s fans through selling counterfeit copies of the yet-to-be released album after he released the title track last week.
