Is Ammara Brown ready for a Nama?

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It takes me a long time to warm up to any new music artist. I have to be convinced first that he or she is not a fly-by-night artist or a one-hit wonder. That was the case with me and Ammara Brown.

It takes me a long time to warm up to any new music artist. I have to be convinced first that he or she is not a fly-by-night artist or a one-hit wonder. That was the case with me and Ammara Brown.

in the groove with Fred Zindi

I first met Ammara in 2003 when she was a backing vocalist for her father’s band, The Storm, at a government-organised musical gala at Rufaro Stadium. I did not think much of her act then as I thought it was just Andy Brown trying to promote his daughter.

However, years later, after listening to Kure Kure, her collaboration with Jah Prayzah, I thought that was the end of Ammara, despite the song being a monster hit. But how wrong I was as Ammara’s musical heritage provided her with excellent vocal performance in another collaboration with Tytan when she sang:

Baby handizi chimoko Ndiri mukadzi chaiye Ndasiyana nezvipoko Ndine rudo rwunotapira Kunge rwabva mumukoko.

I remember saying to myself, “This woman is a beast!” I could predict that she would become a real monster soon, and that she was definitely going to put Zimbabwe on the world map.

Now that she has come up with another monster hit which is spiced up with a pulsating rhythm on yet another collaboration with Ex Q titled Bhachura, I have been forced to take notice.

To ensure that 2017 gets off to a shimmering start, my recommendation to the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe’s adjudication team is that they give Ammara Brown a National Arts Merit Awards (Nama) gong at the awards ceremony next month.

Even though most of her hits such as Hustlers’ Yoga with Tehn Diamond, Mafaro with her late father and Hotta with Naked DJ, were created through collaborations, Ammara in her own right deserves recognition. Perhaps she should now consider going it alone like she did on More Sugar Daddy and Night of the Queen.

Ammara is the daughter of the late iconic Zimbabwean singer Andy Brown and Soraya Khan. She was born in Harare on September 6 1988. She started her career in 1997, debuting in a television commercial which advertised Olivine cooking oil together with popular musician, Oliver Mtukudzi.

Her musical career began at the age of 13 after she had learned to play mbira and joined the Martin Luther King Choir. She then went on to make her first demo song for her parents. Andy broke down when he heard his daughter sing as he discovered how talented she was. She was later allowed to join her father’s band — The Storm — in 2003 as a backing vocalist.

Ammara is the second born of her father’s 10 children and the first born between Khan and Andy Brown. Her parents divorced in 1994, after which she moved with her mother to the United States in 1998 at the age of 10. She went to Alameda High School in the US between 2002 and 2003. On her return to Zimbabwe, she attended Westridge High School where she completed her O’ Level.

In 2004, Ammara won the regional Music Crossroads and later went on to study music at the College of Performing Arts and attained honours with distinctions.

She first signed up for Gallo Records (later re-named Zimbabwe Music Corporation) which was a record label that her father was also signed up to.

Ammara made it to the top 10 of Idols East and Southern Africa in 2008, being one of five Zimbabweans and was eventually eliminated, taking fifth position. In 2010, she performed at the soccer World Cup in South Africa alongside Flabba from Skwatta Kamp. She has also performed before Malawian presidents Bingu Wa Mutharika and Joyce Banda.

Ammara also gave excellent performances when she shared the stage with acts such as Mi Casa at the Harare International Festival of the Arts, Jah Prayzah, P-Square, Winky D, Mtukudzi and Tehn Diamond.

During the 2013 edition of the Lion Lager Beer Festival attended by Nigerian singer, D’banj, Ammara made a surprise appearance on stage and twerked for D’banj, who was impressed by her and asked, “Who is this girl? Where did she come from? I want to take her to Nigeria!” There was controversy about her sudden appearance on stage among Zimbabweans who felt that as a rising star, she should not have displayed herself like that, especially when she had not been invited to the stage.

In June 2014, she caused another stir following the release of her album cover which accompanied her single titled Crucify Me. The album cover depicted a creature-like woman crucified on a cross and a head of a crow or an eagle on a cross. This garnered criticism from religious fanatics who argued that she was mimicking the crucifixion of Jesus. Some began to call her a Satanist. Ammara argued that the song together with the album cover was all about a woman cheating on a man without any religious connotations.

There has also been a lot of speculation surrounding Ammara’s love life. What we currently know is that she is single. Not long ago she was said to be dating playboy Roki (Rockford Josphat).

Ammara has revealed that she broke up with Roki after she discovered some of his weaknesses.

Ammara, who has a six-year-old son, said the father of her son is Darim who is based in South Africa.

Towards the end of 2016, Ammara released the Zimdancehall single Watchu Want in which she collaborated with her sister Chengeto. This has also been well-received by the public.

Not only is Ammara excellent in vocal performance, but she is also an excellent choreographer, actress and music arranger. If you ask me where I think she will be in the next five years, I will tell you that she will be Zimbabwe’s most successful artist. She is focused and she deserves a Nama this year.

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