SNEAK PEEK :Winstone Antonio
AFRO-FUSION singer Lovemore “Lovezh” Nherudzo said his prowess on composing songs gave him the confidence to soldier on in the cut-throat industry.
Backed by The Brave Stars band, the musician recently launched his fourth album titled Mwari Mupenyu. The six-track album was produced by Blessing Muchenga at 263 Music Lab. NewsDay Life & Style reporter, Winstone Antonio (ND), caught up with the Rusape-bred singer (LN), who spoke about his career.
ND: On your music, you fuse sungura and rhumba. How do you describe your sound?
LN: My sound is Afro-fusion as I fuse rhumba and sungura. My music is all about social commentary and I attribute the prowess to compose these social themed songs to God.
ND: When did you discover your passion for music?
LN: I discovered my passion for music in 2016 when I was touring around with dendera singer Sulumani Chimbetu and his Ochestra Dendera Kings. During those days at times he used to call me on the stage and ask me to sing especially his song which he featured the late music superstar Oliver Mtukudzi?
ND: You recently released your new album titled Mwari Mupenyu, can you share more details about the project?
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LN: My latest album titled Mwari Mupenyu, comes as a Christmas gift for my supportive fans. Mwari Mupenyu is a six-track production that carries songs such as Vana VemuZimbabwe, Mukadzi Wenyoka, Elengina, Boys DzeMbare and Wepamoyo Wangu. As people are enjoying our music across the borders, we are now working on videos so that the music will be available on all platforms for people to enjoy. This album is a dedication to my fans and fellow Zimbabweans as it speaks of the current situation happening in the country especially the title track Mwari Mupenyu that encourages people to worship the Almighty. In this title track I am just reminding people about the greatness of God and encourage them to put him first in all they do. As the year is coming to an end, it has been a great one for me since I started my journey in the arts industry so we close the year with Mwari Mupenyu album. ND: Is there a hidden meaning in any of your songs?
LN: There is no hidden meaning in my music as through it, I seek to teach, preach as well as share ideas on different social themes so that people will learn something while they are enjoying the music.
ND: What is the biggest challenge you have had to overcome so far?
LN: At the moment I have not encountered what I can describe as big problem as I am patient enough to take it one step at a time and I know God is in control of my career.
ND: Any collaborations yet?
LN: I have come to realise that collaborations unite artistes so as a result of that, I have done some collaborations with Mark Ngwazi, Jean Masters, Wanai Ndudzo and Somandla Ndebele.
ND: Who are you yearning to work with now?
LN: For now it will be none other than dendera singer Sulumani Chimbetu whom I draw inspiration from.
ND: What do you enjoy most about being a musician?
LN: As a singer, I do enjoy live shows and that time when I will be writing songs. I enjoy that time most when I will be thinking of writing something that really touches the hearts and the souls of the people.
ND: As an artiste, what is your strength?
LN: My strength is on vocals and strumming a guitar.
ND: Do you play any instruments?
LN: Yes, I do play rhythm guitar.
ND: Are you into music full-time?
LN: I am into shop-fitting and I am the sales manager, but I really have passion for music and to me this is like a hobby during my spare time.
ND: How do you balance work and music?
LN: I do much of music after working hours and mostly on weekends so I have a flexible working environment to combine the two professions.
ND: If you could change anything about the arts industry, what would it be?
LN: If I had the power to make a change in our arts industry, I would seek to have policies that influence more corporates to come on board to support this billion-dollar industry as well as come up with rules and regulations that protect artistes and the sector at large.
ND: How do you spend your day outside the studio?
LN: I spent most of my time at the workshop with the technical team busy designing windows and aluminium doors.
ND: Which famous musicians do you admire?
LN: Democratic Republic of Congo rhumba star Werrason and dendera singer Sulumani Chimbetu.
ND: What type of music do you listen too?
LN: I listen to rhumba music and locally I am a dendera fan so I listen to much of dendera music.
ND: What advice would you share with someone wanting to follow in your footsteps?
LN: My advice to aspiring musicians is that they must listen to their fans since these are our paymasters. Don’t be upset with the negative comments that you might receive, one just has to work hard so that one day people will recognise their effort.
