NORWAY-BASED True Love hit-maker Busi Ncube dedicated a yesteryear track Ndipewo Simba in memory of the late mbira maestro Chiwoniso Maraire during her performance in Harare at the weekend.
Lynette Manzini Own Correspondent
Composed by both Ncube and Maraire more than a decade ago, the song talks about empowerment of women.
“Chiwoniso was my best friend and sister. May her soul rest in peace. I couldn’t make it for her memorial last month, but I will do it today. We wrote this song between 2000 and 2002 and Musasa Project loved the song and used it for their programmes,” Ncube said.
She wowed an intimate crowd at Book Café with songs such as Why and Shamwari from her 12-track album to be released next year, but when she threw in True Love and Shosholoza, the hits she sang with Ilanga, the audience went rapturous.
“I am humbled by the fact that people still love our (Ilanga) music, but I was not surprised by their excitement because it’s their sound, it belongs to them and I am just their daughter, sister and mother, so they own it.
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“When I am abroad and play the music, people do not believe it was music composed 30 years ago until they see the dates on the CD.
“As Ilanga, we were inspirational to each other and we were ahead of our time. That is why our music is still relevant,” she said.
Ncube advised upcoming musicians not to be too dependent on technology when producing music.
“Technology is ever changing and that is good, but to stay in the game longer, upcoming local musicians should use their mental intellect because composing music requires a lot of input that technology cannot do,” she said.
Ncube was set to leave Zimbabwe on Monday to organise the first edition of Zimfest — a festival that celebrates Zimbabwean culture — in Oslo, Norway.
Ncube was optimistic that Zimbabweans from around the world would grace the event. A poet popularly known as Outspoken, is the only Zimbabwean artist attending the festival.
Ncube started professional singing when she was 19 years old in 1983 with the band Ilanga where they recorded three albums.
When the group disbanded in the late 1980s, she formed her own band Rain with which she recorded nine albums.
Ncube has been teaching music in Norway since 2000, but regularly visits Zimbabwe for inspiration.