A Zimbabwean sungura musician based in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Njabulo Nyoni aka Njabuchile Kamanqayadla is back, and this time with a six-track album titled Ngeke Ngivume.
By Staff reporter
Last year, the Tsholotsho-born musician unleashed another six-track album tilted Umuntu Uyingozi, which he sang in different languages. Nyoni, who is popularly known as Igwee in the DRC, can sing in Shona, Ndebele, Lingala, French and Nyanja.
“The new album — like my debut project Umuntu Uyingozi — contains six songs, including the title track Ngeke Ngivume, Hutapwa, NakaJoyce, Terezia, Umumo Wezinto and Dziva Rinonyudza,” Nyoni told The Standard Style.
“It’s a masterpiece that is doing well on the market in Zimbabwe, South Africa and DRC.”
The musician, who is inspired by sungura king Alick Macheso, said he calls his music Deep African Sounds (DAS).
“My music is laden with various languages spoken in most parts of southern Africa and it is a blend of rhumba, kanindo and traditional African sounds. I prefer to call the genre DAS music,” he said.
“As of the message, it’s more of a social commentary, touching on the day-to-day lives of Zimbabweans; their struggles and suffering. In the song Hutapwa, I try to encourage people to seek God for salvation, emphasising on the importance of patience and belief in the capabilities of the Almighty.”
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In the song NakaJoyce, Nyoni talks about a man who reminds his wife of their marriage vows and pleads with her not to listen to gossip. The man tries to stop his wife from divorcing him for the sake of their children.
“I made Ngeke Ngivume the title track because it’s all about my personal experience. I shrugged off challenges from a rival villager who wanted to see me going down in my rural home in Tsholotsho. I ended up taking the matter to Chief Mathuphula Khumalo. The experience is all summed up in the song,” he said.
This time, Nyoni has roped in his wife Chido, who chipped in as a backing vocalist on the songs Hutapwa and Dziva Rinonyudza. The album was recorded at Truetone Studios in Harare and was produced and engineered by veteran producer Jabulani Ndlovu.
“A special thank you to my wife, Chido for the support and backing vocals, you mean a lot to me,” he said.
Nyoni also paid tribute to his backing group, the Rising African Stars.
“To the Rising African Stars team, thumbs up guys for a polished performance and to my fans, welcome my second album Ngeke Ngivume, and don’t allow anyone to pull you down,” he said.
He said music was his first love, adding that Ndux Malax and Solomon Skhuza played a major role in his career and he was following in their footsteps.
