Afro-fusion singer Mbeu, real name Ashton Nyahora is a singer, guitarist and mbira player who has been gaining traction on the local music scene. He leads The Mhodzi Tribe, one of the leading bands on the local scene. Mbeu has been in showbiz for a while, having been groomed by late music icon Oliver Mtukudzi at Pakare Paye Arts Centre.
Mako Jerera (MJ)from Tateguru Tv spoke to the crooner (M), who spoke about finding his own feet in the country`s cut throat music industry. Below are excerpts from the interview:
MJ: How has the Covid-19 situation affected you as a performing artist?
M: The Covid-19 situation came with mixed outcomes. There were good and bad days. The lockdown situation in 2020 came to our advantage as we managed to connect with more of our fans during that period. Life became digital, worldly and our fan base expanded. We are now doing most of our gigs from the diaspora . We perform at their private events. The 2020 tour was affected though. We were supposed to go and perform in South Africa but covid-19 affected it.
MJ:How have you been staying afloat?
M: To stay afloat, we have been performing privately.
MJ: It has been a few years of performing but it appears the mass market is catching onto the Mbeu vibe. How does it feel?
M: On the mass market we take one step at a time and one fan at a time. So, what is happening now is what we are expecting so that our fan base grow and the appreciate our music. That is why in 2020 we never released an album. We realised that we still have of music that needs to be pushed out.
MJ: How does it feel to finally get the recognition you deserve?
M: I have always been recognised, we have always been recognised. There is no feeling there, but of course we have people who even up to now do not know you When they see us for the first time they get so excited. Vanenge vatanga kuzviona ipapo (they will be seeing it for the first time) but isusu (us) we are following our plan.
MJ: Your new song with Mambo Dhutere is getting rare reviews, two distinct artists with different styles, how did you get together for the song?
M: Getting together with Mambo Duterere, we discovered that we were following each others work and style of doing business from a distance. So, when we met we then decided to work on something together and see how it goes. We did the song last year in November and it came out as a good song and we decided to release it.
MJ: Who would you most like to collaborate with locally and regionally?
M: Our next collaboration is local and we are already done working on the piece. The music actually finished last year and is going to be released this year. We have two local collaborations that finished last year. Whether we release it this year or not, we will see as we go. We take each day as it comes. We do not do things under pressure. Hapana kwekumhanyira.
MJ: What would you be doing right now, if it wasn’t for your music career?
M: I would still be doing music, nothing else. Music is the only thing I know.
MJ: Do you have any upcoming releases that we should look forward to?
M: Yes we have music waiting to be released. Like I said, we take each day as it comes and we can see when we can release them. We do not put pressure with dead lines and dates because music is going to last forever.
MJ: How do you feel the internet has impacted the music business and Mbeu brand?
M: The internet has been a blessing for our generation because it is much faster and efficient. Distribution of music now is faster and efficient. The internet has covered a gap because in Zimbabwe we have few radio stations and in a day they play few songs since most of them are talk radios. The internet has given us the opportunity to be noticed through YouTube and Instagram. The platforms push you to be more creative.
MJ: From all your songs, which one would you say is your favourite?
M: From my songs, the one I can say I like the most depends with the mood, day and situation. But I have no favourites. They are all good.
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