When Jah Prayzah requested for Andy Muridzo to join him on stage, perhaps to sing Diamond Platnumz’s part of the mega collaboration Watora Mari, at the launch of the album Kutonga Kwaro, the Dherira hitmaker was nowhere to be seen.
By Kennedy Nyavaya
Whether Andy Muridzo was still at the venue or not, remains a mystery, but the incident fitted well as Jah Prayzah had not showed up earlier to join him for their duet Emma. Andy Muridzo eventually did not sing the song on the night.
It is getting close to 10 months since Andy Muridzo inked a deal to be part of Jah Prayzah’s music establishment, Military Touch Movement (MTM), but the gains of the move are yet to be seen.
Back in January when he somersaulted into the unholy alliance, it was largely speculated that, if right, the move would have by now spurred his career further than his individual efforts had yet his stock has remained stagnant, if not deteriorating.
After penning the deal he told the media that in the agreement he is “a child and Jah is the father.” Andy Muridzo said he would only follow in his then perceived nemesis’ footsteps.
“I equate it [MTM deal] to a family set-up where I am a child and Jah is the father. No matter what happens, I cannot become the father but I will remain the child,” he was quoted saying then.
True to his sentiment, Andy Muridzo has hardly made much impactful news aside from the alleged affair with famous raunchy dancer Beverly Sibanda early this year.
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In April, fissures had already started surfacing as Andy Muridzo apparently told a local radio station that there was too much emphasis on Jah Prayzah in comparison to what all the other artists in the group were getting.
He, however, has remained resolute, hoping he would scale up the ladder with the help of the deal which is said to run until 2020. “Jah Prayzah has already penetrated Africa and I’m under Military Touch Movement trying to do the same. My move to join the label was calculated based on my vision, which is to take my music to Africa,” he said in the radio interview.
That was hot air, because to date he has neither collaborated with a noteworthy artist from outside the country as he hardly has the same clout as his boss or, as he prefers to call him, counterpart, who is continuously soaring.
The furthest Andy Muridzo has gone on collaborations was with Botswana’s Charma Gal and at that rate , getting half the regional influence his boss has is a pipe dream.
One would have interpreted Baba Keketso’s (as Andy Muridzo is otherwise known) Instagram snap with Tanzania’s Harmonize in May to mean his mega collaboration was in the making but alas, his “father” had arranged that for himself.
“Right now we have been trying to have agreements and work on such collaborations but there is nothing substantive that has been agreed so far,” said Andy Muridzo’s manager Gift Petro.
According to Petro, that does not mean they have not gained anything from MTM.
“From the camp, we got connections and sometimes we get corporate events and we get to record at JP Studios although we are not restricted to it alone and can also go and record at other studios,” he said.
It is uncertain when they will make use of the said “connections” but a look at Andy Muridzo’s career before MTM speaks volumes of how he has seemingly been subdued by the relationship.
While other counterparts like EXQ and Nutty O have noted significant rises in the same period, even working with significant foreign artists, Andy Muridzo’s Tichambotenderera album launch in March is a pale shadow of his second album Ngarizhambe.
The failure of Tichambotenderera is clear as the singer opts to sing hits such as Dherira and Chidhafu Dhunda off the album Ngarizhambe during live shows.
“The album Tichambotenderera is okay, although it was met with criticism and a lot was said about it but it’s not that bad,” said Petro.
He said Andy Muridzo was working on a new album.
“We are busy working on a new album, which will be released end of March or in April next year. The new one will be better than any other project which we have done before.”
Petro maintains that they are sticking to their usual sound, although Andy Muridzo has done considerably well with dancehall beats of late on singles like Usipo, among others.
There is relative agreement that the 25-year-old has good vocals and energetic live performance ability, but that is not enough to make a star.
