KETAI Muchawaya, who was affectionately known as Mukoma Ketai, died in 1999 and was a musician who had made a name in the music industry.
A few years after his death, his son Itai managed to revive Mukoma Ketaiâs legacy and since then he has been working hard to make a name for himself and of course maintain the family name active in the industry.
But before he got to be known as Muchawayaâs son, Itai had to go through a lot just to be recognised and he shared some of the experiences with source.
âThe industry is not that friendly, I tell you. My father passed away in 1999 when I was in Form One, so when I decided to venture into music in 2002, some of my fathersâ band members were dead, some were no longer doing music and others were now in different places doing different jobs and that was one of the challenges which I faced before I even started my journey. I had to look for members who matched my father team,â he recollected.
âI was also still young and in school so I had to focus on one thing. So my case is different from other artistes who take over their fathers work as soon as they pass away. For me it was unfortunate because I was still young but also eager to start.â
It took Muchawaya a lot of time to gather everything, but as someone who had a motive he managed to form a band â Simba Brothers â around 2005. In his endeavours he was helped by Donald Gogo, the only member of his fathersâ band.
âMy first album, Ngoma Ndiyo, which I was supposed to drop in 2007, had to be released in 2014 due to challenges and it did not make much noise, but that did not stop me from releasing.
The album carried six tracks including Makandigona, Mhinduro Nyoro and Ngoma Ndiyo, among others.
âAs someone who was determined, I kept pushing and eventually my second album Ngei Muchidaro (2019) finally did well with the popular track Dzapera Mombe managing to attract fans and promoters and thatâs when I began performing shows in Chipinge and Murambinda among other places. It takes boldness to make a name in the music industry,â Muchawaya explained.
The road for artistes who carry on their fatherâs legacies is definitely not an easy one as they push hard just to be recognised.
At the moment the Simba Brothers frontman is working on a new album which he hopes to release by end this month and recently he featured Bhozhongora on the track Hupenyu, which has been well-received by fans.
To show that he is eager to follow in his fathersâ footsteps, Itai will produce 10-minute songs that tell stories, just like his father Ketai did. Itai has, indeed, proved that it takes more than just will to follow oneâs fatherâs footsteps.
Source Newsday
