Sungura exponent Romeo Gasa says he is now reaping the fruits of hard work and enjoying his moment in the cut-throat music industry.
By Staff Reporter
He has overcome a plethora of obstacles during his seven-year music career, ranging from being labelled an Alick Macheso copycat to losing musical equipment to thieves.
At one point, his performance was abruptly cut short at a Unity Gala in Gokwe and there were allegations that a manager with a rival musician could have thrown spanners in the works of the young artist just as he got onto the stage to perform.
Gasa only managed to perform one song at the gala, much to the disappointment of the fans that had already started enjoying his presence on stage.
Despite the setback, the young artist has soldiered on and he believes he has reinvented sungura to create an authentic, modern day sound that appeals to people of different music tastes.
“It was difficult at first, but I think I have come of age. I diverted from the original sungura and took a different dimension from the beat of the Ephraim Joe era,” he said.
The Extra Valembe frontman has been accused of reproducing almost all of Macheso’s guitar antics, including strumming the wires with his feet, forehead and any other part of the body.
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“It is part of the job and one has to do that to add value to their performance. I can now play the guitar hanging upside down and doing many other antics,” he said. Gasa said he was overwhelmed by bookings.
“I am not resting at all. Extra Valembe is always on the road and we are playing at sold-out shows across the country, especially in Chinhoyi, Guruve, Bindura, Mt Darwin and many other towns outside Harare,” he said.
The Simbi Hombe hitmaker, who is riding high with his latest offering Bho Zvekuti, said he was now working on new videos.
“I am working on a DVD which will have videos of songs selected from all my albums. It’s something which we are doing and we will release it before year end,” he said. Extra Valembe manager Bornface “Chief” Chisvine said all was well in their camp.
“The boys are doing very well and every week we are fully booked for shows. We are happy with what Romeo and the team are doing to promote the Extra Valembe brand,” Chisvine said.
Gasa has four albums under his belt and these are Sungura Kompressor, Simbi Hombe, Pin Code, Mupedza Nyaya and Bho Zvekuti.
