US-based Zimbabwean born Isaac Gabriel Kalumbu, aka King Isaac, who blessed us with his Grammy nominated collaboration with the late Jamaican reggae star, Gregory Isaacs on the album Isaacs Meets Isaac is back in Zimbabwe for two weeks with a new offering: Zvaida Kutendwa an album which was launched on June 18 2025
Zvaida Kutendwa is the title track from the King’s 2025 album,
In the last decade King Isaac’s efforts at making music have been relentlessly untiring.
Last year he was featured on Radio Zimbabwe, Star Fm and Terence Mapurisana's Classic 263 FM with the song Usatore Mutoriro.
Before that, King Isaac came out with selected hits such as :
-King Isaac (2002)
-Munokokwa Mese (2004)
-Legends of Reggae present King Isaac (2006)
- In the groove: Chiwoniso Maraire remembered
- DYNAMOS coach Tonderai Ndiraya has backed his misfiring strikers to start banging the goals soon.
- Johanne Marange leader Noah burial today
- Garakara walks through his music journey
Keep Reading
-Love of All Senses (2008)
-Isaacs Meets Isaac (2010)
-Here I Go Again (2011)
-Makuwerere! King Isaac’s Coat of Many Colours (2018)
-Love Talk (2023)
-One Cocoa,
Rudo.
Chimhandara
Uye Uye
-Winner
- Singing Glory.
Two weeks ago he was on Radio Zimbabwe talking for two hours on his music journey , part of which will be revealed here.
King Isaac was born Isaac Gabriel Kalumbu in Harare, Zimbabwe.. He started writing poems at the age of 14. At about the same time, the censorship of reggae was lifted in Zimbabwe when the nation attained independence in 1980. Subsequent visits to Zimbabwe by reggae stars such as Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff, Gregory Isaacs and Dennis Brown helped to fuel King Isaac’s love for reggae music. The young poet soon turned to writing lyrics for songs, and by mid to late 1980’s, he was singing in local reggae bands. In 1986 he recorded his first song, Simuka, a reggae piece about the liberation struggle in South Africa. At the same time he was studying at the University of Zimbabwe and in 1987, earned a bachelor’s degree in Economic History and History. In January 1991, Kalumbu left Zimbabwe to study at Indiana University in Bloomington, USA. Although he was interested in an academic career, Kalumbu also knew that a move to the USA would bring him closer to Jamaica and to the reggae world at large.
King Isaac. a Zimbabwean reggae singer, songwriter and a professor of Ethnomusicology, now working in administration, at Michigan State University writes music which revolves around love, spirituality, and promotes the pursuit of peaceable living amongst the various peoples of the world.
During the singer’s first visit to Jamaica in 1998, the name King Isaac was bestowed upon him by Joseph “Bragga” Russell, a former aide of Bob Marley at the Bob Marley Museum.
In my opinion, Bragga should have also given him the crown befitting a king.
Upon arrival in the US, he immediately formed a reggae band named Zimbeggae (Zimbabwe + reggae). The group performed in many venues in Indiana, focusing on both original and cover material, and King Isaac wrote and recorded several more original songs. Later, in 1993, he received an MA in ethnomusicology from Indiana University. In 1997 he was appointed to the faculty at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan. His continuing graduate education culminated in his earning a PhD in Folklore/Ethnomusicology in 1999 from Indiana University. In the meantime, King Isaac reached a milestone in his singing career when reggae music promoter Gwen Clemens introduced him to Leroy Sibbles, for whom he opened up shows in 1998 in Detroit , Michigan. That same year he embarked on his first pilgrimage to reggae’s Mecca, Kingston, Jamaica to make his first recordings there, thus fulfilling a long-held dream. Since then, King Isaac has visited Jamaica at least once a year.
In December 2004, King Isaac was invited by veteran singer Sigar Minot to perform at Minott’s annual, Reggae in The Hills concert . The crowd’s response was rewarding and reassuring. It was during this same trip that Kalumbu met Gregory Isaacs, with whom he would begin recording music the following year.
In the summers of 2005 and 2006, Kalumbu travelled to Kingston Jamaica, where he worked with many veteran reggae artists, including Gregory Isaacs, Dean Fraser and the legendary U Roy . These recordings culminated in King Isaac's third album, Legends of Reggae Present King Isaac, which contains a special appearance by South Africa's royal ladies of song, the Mahotella Queens.
Since then, King Isaac has released a string of other albums, namely Love of All Senses (2008), Isaacs Meets Isaac . (2010),and Here I Go Again (2011.) The 2010 album Isaacs Meets Isaac, collaborated on with the legendary Gregory Isaacs, was nominated for a Grammy …Released the same year Gregory Isaacs passed away, the collaborative album was the final released offering in his extensive discography. .
King Isaac released his seventh album entitled Makuwerere (King Isaac’s Coat of Many Colours) in 2019, which reflects on his musical journey. Recorded in three countries — Jamaica, USA and Zimbabwe — King Isaac›s offering is also a celebration of the singer/crooner's achievements as a musician, pastor and mentor. Leroy Sibbles, as well as Zimbabwean music producer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist Mono Mukundu and Kalumbu are the three producers behind this project.
Early in 2021, King Isaac released two singles. The first one, Mugore Wangye, is an afrobeat tune that blends Kinyarwanda, Swahili, Shona, Ndebele, Zulu and English. The video for the song was shot in Uganda. The second single, Ida Inini, is a collaboration with veteran Zimbabwean dancehall chanter, Edwin ‘Potato’ Mbatatisi. Later that year, he released the single and video, Chimhandara/Partner for Life.
In 2022, King Isaac released another single: The Score, a release on which he collaborated with Jamaican chanter Chaka Demus., .
In February 2023, King Isaac released his eighth studio album, Love Talk, with previously released singles The Score and Uye Uye among the 12 album songs.
In July 2023, he released the anti-drug anthem and video Usatore Mutoriro, which was accompanied by five versions of the music video: the original, and four versions with subtitles in English, French, Swahili and Zulu. In February 2024, King Isaac continued in his four-year tradition of love-centred Valentine’s Day releases, debuting Time for Love, a collaboration . with Zimbabwean songstress Nicholar Mutuwa and Mukoma Woye, a Jiti single.
King Isaac does not stop there. As said before, he is untiring.
A 2025 yet to be given a title collaboration is already in the offing. Isaac met Cassian Mapfumo whose stage name is WaMambo during his short visit here and they put a song together. WaMambo records with the Sword Band and has in his own right come out with a single titled Mwana Ndewani which talks about the many social issues faced by Zimbabweans, especially women, such as looking after a disabled child, poverty, unemployment, inequality, and gender-based violence.
We are yet to receive this collaboration which sounds promising.
*Feedback: [email protected]
