ZIMDANCEHALL musician Calvin Wahita — popularly known as Bazooker in music circles — is known for his controversial track, Mababy Akawanda, off the Panomhanya Munhu Riddim and his 2019 track Umdhala Wethu. He speaks to NewsDay Life & Style about his life and career.
BY FREEMAN MAKOPA
Inspiration
I started singing in 2012 and in 2013, I did the song Mabhebhi, which was my breakthrough. I usually get my lyrics from the ghetto. Some of the statements, especially from the ghetto youths, make up most of my songs and the day-to-day lives of the people that stay in the ghetto.
I try to release songs that excite my fans. And right now, I am trying to introduce a new sound into my music. I am trying some Afro beats to produce some sounds like Amapiano and to achieve that, I have released a track title Dumebi. It’s a love song dedicated to all the ladies.
Before, I didn’t want to record and I would record 12 songs a year and so I later developed the passion and started recording more songs and I am glad fans are falling in love with my music.
Negative publicity
If you are popular, social media always finds a way to paint a bad picture of you, but at the same time, social media uplifts us. Yes, you heard stories before of me and when I sang the Mababy Akawanda, people used that against me, but that was only a song.
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So I use music to counter such bad publicity and that’s why I released another track titled Mukadzi Haarohwe. So as artistes, at times we have to be creative and address some social aspects of life.
Collaborations
I have done collaborations recently with Lemont Chitepo on a track called Follow You and with Nox on Celebrate. So, I am looking forward to doing more as a way to expand my brand. In doing collaborations, you learn one or two things from other artistes.
The name Bazooker
It all started long back when I began singing but was releasing few songs but they were hits and fans started saying I am releasing songs with a pace of a bazooker (a portable antitank weapon of war) and that’s when I adopted the name. Beef with D Flexx, Enzo Ishall
I don’t have anything against D Flexx and I have never met the guy personally and for him to say I worked with him in a local publication is not true. I started out alone and we stay in different neighbourhoods. I write my own songs and no one has ever written anything for me
I am good friends with Enzo and we are looking forward to doing a project if all goes well. But I have nothing against him like what the social media portrays.
Marriage and financial rewards
Fans, especially females, do not know that I am married and my wife is not annoyed with what she sees in my videos if I decide to include girls because she knows that it is just business.
At the moment, it’s on a low note, but only passion drives me to continue making songs. Hard work will surely reward me one day. Rewards never come overnight but you have to earn them.
International market
Last week, I released two songs which are different from the ones I used to produce and it includes a different beat, which does not fall under Zimdancehall.
So with these two songs, I’m trying penetrate the international market, because I know that if we do songs on the same beats like those of international artistes, then we will definitely compete with them.
And also because of the fact that nowadays technology allows us to upload our projects on the internet, we are confident that our songs will make an impact and thereby penetrating the market.
