Kiyapili Sibanda, Sunday Life Correspondent
THE music industry can at times have similar characteristics to the beautiful game of soccer.
The two certainly have ups and downs that make or break those who make a living from both trades.
In local football, no soccer fan will, for example, will forget the rise of the football sensation Evans “Earthquake” Gwekwerere. Labelled by some the next Peter Ndlovu, Gwekwerere’s rise was fast and breathtaking. Equally stunning was his relatively quick fall.
Away from the beautiful game, Bulawayo has artistes burst onto the scene but also failed to stand the test of time.
Who can forget 3Kings of the “Seqa Mabhilidi” fame. Because of its popularity among the house and kwaito fans the song was even mistakenly thought to have been made in South Africa. After years of silence, the question uppermost in the minds of some will be what happened to the group that made that hit song. The trio seems to have varnished and they have reportedly decided to go their separate ways with some having totally abandoning the music industry.
It is close to more than five years since the last release of their hit single and with that being the case it is it perhaps appropriate to label them one-hit wonders.
A one-hit wonder is defined as an artiste that achieves mainstream popularity, often for only one piece of work, and becomes known among the general public solely for that momentary success.
In local music circles, it is not only the Seqa Mabhilidi hit-makers who earned the one-hit wonder tag. A few years back Victoria Falls Afro-pop duo Ras Boom and DJ Ace Kater seemed ready for bigger things with their viral track Zankaleli.
The video of their song Zankaleli went viral with over 40 000 views in a space of two days on social media and thus gained them overnight success. Since that hit single, the guys failed to match the standards that saw them make headlines in record time.
One-hit wonders can perhaps happen even outside the field of music. Apart from these two musical groups who can ever forget the rise of Bulawayo’s own Zodwa Wabantu, Trino Bambino, who rose to fame after winning the competition at a local club on how to imitate South African’s Zodwa Wabantu. After a spate of headlines, her fame seemed to disappear as quickly as it came.
One wonders what can be done for young artistes who get fame early in their careers. Certainly it is hard for one to maintain one’s ground in the dog-eat-dog world of entertainment. The industry tends to frustrate the up-and-coming artistes and many seem to give up hope rather easily. Indeed some artistes argue that the fame and popularity does not pay the bills.
All said and done it is up to the fans and promoters to try and mould the artistes who are emerging in order for them to stay relevant. It is perhaps time that young Bulawayo artistes emulate formulas used by the likes of Jeys Marabini, Sandra Ndebele and others who have proven their longevity. One hopes that artistes like the award-winning pint-sized rapper Tebza are getting the right mentorship and advise as it would be sad to add his name to the growing number of artistes who names are mentioned whenever the question, ‘Where are they now?’, is brought up.