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| Jah Prayzah |
. .sells out all shows…… . .singer rakes in 60k a month
Is Jah Prayzah now king of Zimbabwean music or is he just a flash in the pan?
With sungura maestro Alick Macheso playing catch-up with a new album that has gone largely ignored, and other recent greats not quite churning out the stuff greatness is made of, there appears to be little competition for the hurricane called Mukudzei Mukombe.
Suluman “Sulu” Chimbetu provides good game, but he too is stuggling to upstage the 10-track “Jerusarema”, an album named after an endangered cultural dance popular in Jah Prayzah’s Uzumba-Maramba-Pfungwe ancestral home.
In Kadoma recently, Jah Prayzah performed for over 1 700 people, in winter, and has not performed for less than a thousand anywhere in Zimbabwe since the release of his album in May 2015.
Whether he charges a flat fee or collects gate takings, the 28-year-old, takes home no less than US$5 000 per show, which translates to over US$15 000 every weekend (excluding midweek gigs and corporate functions).
His lifestyle tells the story of a man in his prime. He drives a Mercedes Benz S600 and has a fleet of other cars parked at his offices and home. He does not hire cars for anything anymore. He uses his own, which are owned by his company, JP Studios.
His PA system, Craft Audio, is regarded as one of the best. But he wants an upgrade. So yes, the rest of the field must be afraid. Very afraid.
Last week, he launched his recording studio, which saw award-winning songstress Cynthia Mare being the first artiste to utilise the state-of-the-art equipment sourced from the United Kingdom and South Africa at a cost of US$16 000.
He is understood to own several properties, although he will not speak abbout such things because at heart, this is still a down to Earth fellow from rural Uzumba.
“Ndine maproperty and tichirikushanda zvimwe. (I have properties and I’m still working on acquiring more),” he said as he dodged a question on what exactly he has invested in with his new found fortune.
His band, which uses army fatigues from different countries as stage costumes, is said to be well taken care of because they have “come a long way with me”.
The uniforms do not come cheap. These are original brands imported from Britain, Australia, the US, UAE and Botswana for his Third Generation band.
Last week, the artiste moved to spacious offices in Harare’s Belvedere. The premises have room for a new studio, waiting area, rehearsals and a storage space.
Music producer Humphrey Domboka (left) with singer Cynthia Mare at JP Studios last week
Music producer Humphrey Domboka (left) with singer Cynthia Mare at JP Studios last week
This is the guy who in May this year did a red carpet launch of “Jerusarema” at the Harare International Conference Centre, which was attended by Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa, several ministers, MPs and top businesspeople.
The VP said it was his first time to be invited to such an event, and he was more than happy he had responded to the call as it had “worthwhile”.
The launch reportedly cost over US$100 000 to put together.
At the launch, Jah Prayzah got a residential and a business stand from businessman Phillip Chiyangwa in exchange for his first CD at an auction.
Was the risk of spending over US$100 000 on the album and its launch worth it?
“I like facing challenges. I do not look back and I am very stubborn. I was nervous, of course, but together with my partners who had also poured in resources, we advertised, put up billboards and because of the confidence I had in the product, even invited the VP. Indeed it has paid off.”
Climbing the ladder
From curtain-raising for the likes of Kapfupi aka Freddy Manjalima, Jah Prayzah has risen to become one of the most sought-after voices in Zimbabwe.
While he once warmed the mic for the likes of Sulu, Macheso, Progress Chipfumo and Oliver Mtukudzi, today artistes clamour to have him feature on their tracks.
But with Peter Moyo, Macheso and Sulu all set to release albums before the end of the year, one wonders if Jah Prayzah will still be king at Christmas.
“I feel that being in competition or viewing a fellow musician as such is a complete waste of time. When one is full of competition in their head, the end result is that they focus on competition and forget their own career,” he said.
Late 2015 or early 2016 will see Jah Prayzah releasing the DVD album for “Jerusarema”. He is not sure if there will be a new album soon and such a decision will be informed by the vagaries of the music industry.
Jah Prayzah said he viewed all artistes as his brothers, sisters, uncles and aunts, which is why he has countless collaborations, including with unknown artistes. The Sundaymail
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