Tocky Vibes retraces footsteps

TOCKY Vibes is singing his way back into dancehall after having ditched the genre for live contemporary music.

BY PROBLEM MASAU

The youthful chanter has released three singles on a dancehall tip after finding the going tough in contemporary music.

Tocky has seen his fame and fortune dwindle after releasing the album Toti Toti, which had live instruments.

The three new singles, among them Ndinouya, have all the ingredients of becoming hit songs during the coming festive season. “We felt that we were starving our dancehall fans. We are not saying we have abandoned live instruments, but we realised that Tocky has a huge fan base in dancehall,” said his manager Elvis Bokosha.

Bokosha said Tocky will continue to release dancehall music as a way of reconnecting with his fans.

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Tocky showed a lot of promise when he started, but recently the going has been tough for him forcing to re-strategise.

Unlike his peers, Tocky gained popularity through his hard-hitting lyrics which were pregnant with meaning.

His lyrical prowess laced with good song writing skills has made him one of the most-sought-after dancehall artistes in the country.

At one time, the musician was compared to the late Marshall Munhumumwe who was known for his poetic prowess.

Tocky Vibes started music back in 2009, but stormed into the limelight recently courtesy of his “soul-soothing music” which many dancehall fanatics believe has substance.

Tocky gained mileage in the cut-throat music scene following a series of hit singles such as Simudza Maoko, Mhai, Handityi and Ndini Ndinorira.

After an initial struggle to get a recording deal, Tocky’s talent was eventually spotted and little had he known that this humble beginning would see him shoot to fame.

The single Ngoma Dzonaka off Zimbo Flavour Riddim is one of the songs that set the tempo and start a trail of chart-making hits. Since then, Tocky has established himself as a force to be reckoned with through recording successive hit singles culminating in a singles collection album.

However, he alienated himself from his fans, many of whom started staying away from his shows after his decision to venture into contemporary music.