Upcoming reggae artiste tells Zim story

UPCOMING Bulawayo-based reggae artist Amigo Mero has released an eight-track album titled Zuva neZuva which tackles social issues from a national context and says he is on a mission to “spread” the Zimbabwean story.

UPCOMING Bulawayo-based reggae artist Amigo Mero has released an eight-track album titled Zuva neZuva which tackles social issues from a national context and says he is on a mission to “spread” the Zimbabwean story. BATANAI MUTASA OWN CORRESPONDENT

The former Founders High School student told Southern Eye Leisure that he sings dancehall and is being received well in the industry.

“I am on a mission to spread the Zimbabwean story which has been mistaken for a ghetto story because dancehall artistes usually confine their message to the youths in high-density suburbs complaining about such universal issues like unemployment and poverty,” said Mero.

“A person can live in the suburbs, but struggle and suffer more than people in the so-called ghettos, so I decided to spread the message from a national context,” he added.

The eight-track album is available for download on Youtube with such tracks as Ndikakutsvoda, Chipondamoyo and Heavy Mazhet enjoying considerable support.

Mero said he started singing in 2011 mostly on mixtapes and staging live shows around the city notably at Club Forty-40 as a supporting act.

“I was also part of the Dreams to Fame project at Amakhosi and got a lot of encouragement to keep on singing and fine tuning my skills till I got things right,” said Mero.

“The problem is that it is very difficult for us to get our music to be played on national radio, especially since the stations are based in Harare and artistes from there have better access.

“The focus on artistes from one area has affected content in the media where musicians sing to meet demand and their songs are devoid of message. That is why you usually hear artistes sing about themselves.”

The chanter, who is supported by his sister Jo Anne on vocals, urged artistes in the city to unite and help refine artistes’ end products .

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