'I am the best Sungura artist in zimbabwe' - Energy Mutodi

Energy Mutodi

The maverick musician-cum- businessman — who has found the going tough since taking on board Peter “Dhewa” Moyo’s band members in 2011 — said he deserves to be called “king of sungura”.

“Indeed, the country’s music history will no longer be complete without mention of Mutodi who since entering the music scene in the year 2010 as a rhumba artist before taking on the popular sungura genre, has made an immense contribution towards social, economic and political transformation through singing and writing,” he said.

“Sungura music is popular among the poor and the middle class, particularly the rural folk who constitute 70% of the country’s population.”

Mutodi said his latest album is going to shake the sungura circles and will force other prominent musicians to rush to the studio.

“The latest album titled, Mupedzanhamo, is expected to raise the bar in sungura circles and as usual, will force other prominent musicians to revise their work set to be released this year if they are to give Mutodi any meaningful competition,” he said.

The musician, who is no longer holding shows after attracting paltry crowds, blamed his misfortunes on the media.

“Although I command respect and following among fans in Zimbabwe and South Africa, I, however, have been downplayed by Zimbabwean entertainment journalists who remain entangled in a primitive mental prison that a rich and educated man cannot be a musician,” he said.

This is not the first time the musician has gone ballistic. In 2013, he attacked Jah Prayzah for winning the Radio Zimbabwe Coca Cola Top 50.

“The recent episode of the Coca-Cola charts has left us with more questions than answers. In their recent Top 50 awards, Radio Zimbabwe could easily be mistaken for a Jah Prayzah radio after their Coca-Cola competition put Jah Prayzah on number one and two and also number six,” he said at the time.

“In my view, the moderators failed to realise not only the purpose of such a competition, but also the complexity of arts in general.

“The musical art is a poetic expression that is meant to educate, entertain and shape future socio-cultural trends.

“The purpose of the radio is to expose these complexities in their diverse forms so as to help the nation appreciate its origin and its own self- framed cultural art.

“Given this background and comparing Radio Zimbabwe’s yesteryear reputation with its current behaviour, it would appear as if a moral hazard problem is making a good harvest on the once beautiful FM radio station,” he said.

Source-Standard