BY FREEMAN MAKOPA
GERMANY-BASED Afro-pop and reggae musician Tapiwa Mumbure, also known as I-Finton (pictured), who recently stunned judges at The Voice of Germany with his unique voice, has opened up on his musical career.
I-Finton told NewsDay Life & Style that his breakthrough came in Germany when city officials offered him a chance to perform at the Voice of Germany festival, adding that most people in the Germany music circles were supportive to new talent
“My breakthrough came when I relocated to Germany and as I was singing on the streets and at train stations, the city officials offered me a chance to perform at a big festival with a big band called Jamaram and I think from that time, it was a breakthrough. And also I was coached by one of the best musicians here in Germany called Mark Foster,” he said.
“I have learnt that most people here who are in the circles are very supportive of each other, whether big or small. They push you to get to a level where you want and they are very helpful and it’s a really great platform and you also get to meet great artistes. The Voice has really done a lot for me and I hope to go far and also being on TV being watched by the whole of Germany, for me, it’s already a win, and I take it as a win.
I-Finton disclosed that he did not apply to audition for the Voice of Germany, but they saw his projects on YouTube and Facebook and approached him for a try-out. “I didn’t apply to be at the Voice auditions, they actually scouted for me through Facebook and YouTube, so kudos to those platforms because I never thought someone would just go to my Facebook page and email me two days before the last audition to say ‘I hope you would like to try for the Voice of Germany’. For me, it was like a big thing,” he said.
“I did participate at the Voice of Germany 2020 Season 10 on the blind auditions episode 4 and for me it was a really eye opening experience because it was a whole different stage from the stages I have been on. So it’s mind-blowing for a musician to be on such a platform where you have the greatest band in Germany playing for you. I am so grateful that I made it at the blind auditions. Now we are set for the battles where you sing with a partner and the coach has to choose which one goes out. That’s where we are right now and we still have to do the auditions and we are keeping our fingers crossed that everything goes well.”
I-Finton added that doing music in a foreign land was profitable and that a musician could earn a living and could actually hook up with the right team.
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He said his father was the greatest inspiration in his career, although he didn’t support the idea of him becoming a musician.
“My father was the manager of the Runn Family Band, which consisted of the Muparutsa brothers, Newmen Chipeni, Bothwell Nyamhondera and a whole lot of them, so we grew up with music in us and my father was really passionate about music. He managed the band up to the level where it played with the likes of Jimmy Cliff when he came to Zimbabwe. So I think that’s where I got the music thing, but at the same time everybody in our family has a voice and everyone can sing, my uncles and aunts, and in the past when we were in the fields, we would sing and that was the only thing that used to calm us. My grandmother would say let’s sing before we pray,” I-Finton said.
“I started my career in 2003 after finishing high school and I would get instrumental and would make music and record myself. But one thing led to another. I mean you meet people for a reason. I met a couple of musicians in Dangamvura, the likes of the late Kelvin Nyona, Cliff Mudzinganyama and those were like the pivot and they really pushed me hard to realise I had the talent as they used to hear me sing whenever I passed through their place.”
