In an effort to evade the pitfalls bedevilling the many youths in Zimbabwe’s high-density suburbs, including theft and drug abuse, Chitungwiza-based young artist Gift Frederik, known in music circles as Dr Bee, has chosen music as his career path. His songs are laden with social commentary encouraging his peers to shun life-threatening embargos and utilise their talents for survival.
By Gumisai Nyoni
Currently riding high on his nine-track singles collection titled The Prodigal Son, which is enjoying airplay on local radio stations, the rising dancehall chanter said; “I am more focused on inspiring youths to venture into self-sustaining projects. I discovered that most of us have talents which can be our source of decent living, rather than spending time taking drugs to escape our economic problems. I found it rational to pursue a career in music, which I think has helped so much to develop my well-being. This helps me to communicate to my peers to be innovative even amid economic crisis.”
Dr Bee said entering the music industry was not easy since the fight for fame among artists tends to take precedence over helping the upcoming ones.
He said it was because of resilience that he has managed to produce two albums to date.
“There is a lot of competition in the industry and one needs to perfect their lyrics in order to appeal to a wide audience. My music is diversified; I don’t focus on dancehall wars, but encouragement. The difficulties we encounter inform me what to sing about, but I also sing about love. Despite finding it difficult to produce my first album, the latest singles collection did not give me problems,” he said.
Dr Bee bemoaned piracy, citing it as the greatest threat to survival of Zimbabwe’s music. He said, especially in relation to upcoming artists, it was proving difficult to realise income from selling CDs, leaving them with no option but live performances.
Besides audio tracks, he is also working on video productions for the singles collection. Among the well-received songs include Maid Wenyu, Magitare, Candidate and Vakunditi Buddie.
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The artist said he had plans to broaden his approach to youth development through music by partnering with non-governmental organisations based in the dormitory town, such as Chitungwiza Community Development Network, which has tremendously accorded platforms for upcoming artists to showcase their talents in genres that include music, dance, theatre and poetry.
