Bruce Ndlovu, Sunday Life Reporter
AFTER toiling to get due recognition for over three decades, Jeys Marabini is a happy man nowadays. Only a few years ago, one could have described Marabini born Majahawodwa Ndlovu as a disgruntled artiste, a man who was tired of seeing all his hard work and toil come to naught.
Anyone who spoke to Marabini in those bad old days could have told you that he was now in danger of being bitten the bug of “discontent.” It is the same bug that has afflicted many promising musicians from Bulawayo. The same insect whose irritation has probably seen Lovemore Majaivana avoid the City of Kings and Queens for the best part of two decades.
Nothing seemed to please Marabini in those days. He was not happy about the shows he was getting booked for, or even worse, the reception he was getting in those shows.
He seemed to be a man at a crossroads and after 30 years in the industry, he could have been forgiven for listening to the little devil in his shoulder telling him to pick up his bags and leave for newer pastures.
However, recently, Marabini has become a happier man. Gigs have come in thick and fast and he believes that he has begun to command the kind of support that his talent demands.
To crown it all, Marabini was recently asked to perform at a banquet in Bulawayo where President Mnangagwa entertained his Kenyan counterpart, President William Ruto. For Marabini, just that one moment was worth 34 years of unrelenting hard work.
“My music is for mature people, who understand and appreciate African music,” he told Sunday Life in an interview.
“That has always been my selling point but I believe that what you’re seeing now is the culmination of all the hard work that I have put in down the years. Such times come but they don’t come on their own.
“You have to work for it and I am happy that finally in my journey as an artiste, my music is being recognised not only in my region but in the entire country. After 34 years of doing music, I can say that I can finally see the fruits of what I have been working hard for. I think it’s also a great lesson for young artistes out there. Things may not seem like they are working out at first, but your time will come,” he said.
Strumming his guitar in front of two Presidents, Marabini said he finally felt like an ambassador for his country.
“I have always been the same Jeys Marabini and I have never changed. I’ve realised that perhaps when you have been living amongst people, they don’t take you seriously until someone with the power and popularity that a President possesses recognises you.
I think when someone like that recognises you as someone unique and talented, it forces everyone else to sit up and take notice. When I was there on stage performing, I wasn’t representing myself or the village that I come from, I was representing my country.
I don’t think the President would call me to come in and perform in front of another Head of State if he felt that I would put up a performance that poorly represented Zimbabwe,” he said.
As he celebrates 34 years in the music industry, Marabini said he has recently had a chance to reflect on the principles that have got him this far in his life and career.
“Patience in life brings a lot of success. Things might take a lot of time to happen but in the end, they do happen as long as one works hard and doesn’t lose focus. All you need to do is keep on making good music and in the end, people will notice you eventually.
“If your work is good and original, people can’t ignore you. For me, anyone who wants to hear Jeys Marabini type of music can only get it from Jeys Marabini and that is an important mark of originality.
“You can’t bring a good thing down and that is what the last few years have proved for me. As long as you are always present and you persevere, no one can take away the glory that is meant for you,” he said.
Marabini said while he had been in the music industry for over three decades, he was still challenging himself to bring his best whenever he went into the studio, as he never wanted to short-change his fans.
“I believe that my music is timeless. The message that is in my songs will always be relevant and that’s why my music has not been a fad. I sell hope in my music. I sell awareness, I sell love in music and I believe that are things that strengthen people. We talk about things that give them strength to go on and give hope for a better tomorrow and I believe that such topics and such music will last forever.
“Everything has to be in sync when I go in to make music. I have to make sure that the musicians are good, I have to ensure that the producers are great and I also have to make sure that the studio is on point. That’s something important that I always like to point out.
We should never take our audience for granted and start thinking because you’re Jeys people will just listen to whatever you put out. That I believe is my strength and the reason I am where I am today. Even if another musician emerges, I am not worried because there’s only one Jeys who’s authentically himself,” he said.
Marabini recently caused a stir on social media when he posted a picture of himself alongside comedienne Mai TT. According to Marabini, while the idea of a collaboration between the two of them seemed outlandish, it was one that he would seriously pursue in the future.
“Mai TT is an artiste just like I am an artiste. She might do art that is different from mine but art will always bring us together. When I posted a picture of us together, we had been brought together by a project that we found ourselves working on. So, as a musician, I can’t rule out people and say I won’t work with so and so. No, you work with everybody as long as they are an artiste that had an impact in society, you can’t look down upon them.
“Mai TT is an artiste who has her sense of style and she has people who follow her just for that. I was amazed by the respect that she gave me and it made me realise that it was all down to the work I have been doing for all these years.
So we are going to do more in the future because this is someone who enjoys my work and my craft. When she expressed that to me it made me feel very good because sometimes as an artiste you work without knowing who you’re touching with your work out there,” he said.