EMERGING Afro-fusion songstress Petronella “Lalla” Matipa has bemoaned financial exploitation, lack of mentorship and airplay on national radio as the greatest impediments to the growth of up-and-coming musicians.
BY KENNEDY NYAVAYA
In an interview with NewsDay Life & Style yesterday, the Tribal Influence band leader said from her experience, she had realised that talent alone was not enough to breakthrough in the current music setup.
“I have spent more on production and even rehearsals for performances that do not pay in the name of exposure so you find that there is sometimes no willingness to just promote or support fledgling talent,” she said.
“I feel if I had got some of the information and knowledge I have now a bit earlier it could have saved time and resources since the time I began in 2015.”
Armed with a five-track EP (Extended Play) titled Fantasy, which she released last year, the multi-talented mbira player is scheduled to launch an album next year after her initial plans were delayed by the COVID-19 outbreak.
The 24-year-old vocalist said young artistes often failed to earn significantly from their work because they did not have influential management teams and this had affected their capability to penetrate platforms as well as the airwaves.
“Using myself as an example, I do not have a manager, so everything is on me and if I had someone who is well connected and dedicated to push the brand it could make things easier,” she said.
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“One radio DJ once told me not to expect any airplay because they got a lot of CDs in a day so if I wanted airplay I should have someone I know who I can personally hand over the music to, so I stopped following up.”
A Zimbabwe College of Music alumnus who holds a national certificate in music, Lalla, said she would further her education to attain enough knowledge for creating a unique sound.
She said she wanted to use her education and experience in the music industry to improve herself and help future generations gain enough understanding of how the music business works.
“Education has had a great impact on me because I now understand music in depth, before it was all about me being able to write and sing a melody, but now I understand how to narrate with emotions or an attitude that goes with the lyrics,” she said.
“I dream of having a hand in establishing the music industry in Zimbabwe. My career will be a success when I reach a point where I get to have a hand in making sure that generations to come will actually be paid enough to sustain themselves.”
