Award winning gospel star hints at her US$20000 Ndimi video
Gospel songstress — Janet Manyowa — reflects on her humble beginnings from the small town of Chegutu to the capital Harare before hitting the big time. The award-winning Janet Manyowa (JM) speaks to Power FM Zimbabwe’s Chamvary (C) on Centre Stage show giving her insights into her music career and what makes her the artist she is. However, Janet Manyowa revealed that her music was not for everyone and would not change her sound to have everyone in her orbit. Read the excerpts:
C: Where did the story start?
JM: Grew up in Chegutu came to the big city and taken over. I think it started when I recorded my first single I grew up singing in church a lot and then I was part of celebration choir I still am we do record a lot with the team but for me I stepped out to sing my first single in 2015 with Comfort Manyame that’s when I started.
C: Singing in popular choir the standards how did it shape you?
When I was in the choir I wasn’t bent on being a solo artist it wasn’t really in my radar growing up I thought. I would be a song writer and give songs to other singers to sing. I just had a lot of fears but I was encouraged to step out of my comfort zone. It was Munya who told Manyame that I should start singing.
C: The way u sing and perform is different Janet is so shy?
JM: I don’t think shy is the word if I get comfortable I’m very extroveted its just the space you find me in I’m not going to be extroverted with people that I’m not used to and I think that has contributed to the performer that I am.
C: How do u define your persona?
JM: I’m a vibrant person I believe I’m full of energy I’m always thinking my mind is always thinking I’m one of those people who find something to calm themselves to sleep I’m passionate about whatever I set my heart but if my heart is not then. It’s like the evolution from stone age to what age I’ve learnt so much for the past 7 years I’ve been in public space my message is still the same and my understanding of my call is where It’s still where it was and I think that’s balance is important but I’ve also grown to be a mom of 3. There seems to be gospel template you had to adhere to for u to be saleable dress code hairstyle posture and u had a certain sound and producer u came up with your own contemporary sound taking your own road afro it was there not in the way you’re doing it.
JM: Not even I think it was just how we are packaging gospel music or how it was package before that it has it felt like to have a certain of false humility for it to be sable but I believe god calls us to be who we are and I just package myself the way I’d have packaged let’s say my backing business I was gonna think outside the box. I was going to package it differently so that it can stand out. I don’t think I was looking at an old template or American template I was really trying to reach out to that person who is like me who loves gospel music but doesn’t really like to fall into another category neither are they too English so I wanted my Shona and everything and who I am to be infused into my music and that’s just how I’ve done it.
C: How does false humility affect an artist, the persona, business and the brand brand?
JM: It does affect the brand a lot. You know False humility to me is trying to appear like something that you are not. So if you’re confident in Christ for me as a Christian I believe whoever we are god has called us to be that person and we need to be confident to move in our purpose so I’m not gonna do it well if I do it like Mai Suluma because we are different so I don’t have to try and she’s amazing u need to meet her when u meet her it just comes naturally that she’s speak argh vakanyorovera soft if I do that I’m trying to pretend so it’s now false humility I have to be humble in the way that I am without trying to be someone else cuz that a recipe for disaster.
C: How much work into developing brand Janet Manyowa?
JM: It has been a lot of years of investing in music. Late night hours, accounting professionals in our workplaces so music was really extra curricula activity it has come with a lot of work in trying to do what do what we feel God called us to do an do it excellently, diligently I think it has taken a lot of discipline on my end it has taken a lot of resources to build what you see today.
C: What’s the most u spend on a video?
JM: Mr Manyowa knows those figures very well 20000 almost. I would be driving something right now.
C: Why take the risk on video you’re not sure people will like or not?
JM: Argh high risk high return is what I’d say, I’d also say when you’re passionate about something you obviously weigh the cost but u want to push the boundaries there are other avenues that u might have to take that will be painful but I’ve seen how . . . the response we got from the rest of Africa from jus that song and you know that I think I’m the wrong person to be answering these things about videos because I go to the videos kicking and screaming I’m thinking sha mari iyi inotokwana maslab and all that at my management but over time I’ve come to appreciate that u need to put in and over time it come back. Ndimi video US$20000.
At what point do we realize to make that decision
That’s a very good analysis Ndimi was probably the seventh/10th video we’ve done .So everything goes in stages how much I spend for a song now is a different to how much I used to spend. There is a certain growth and progression that everyone needs to take. So it’s a progressive environment. It’s a calculated risk, it’s a risk, but it has to be calculated. You know the bible says who just goes on to build a house without calculating the cost you need to calculate. What am I trying to achieve from doing this, is it going to reach the people that I want? Do I have the reach already? What am I building? There are a lot of questions that go on in our heads and then doing whatever we are doing in putting out Vaudze sometimes a low budget video, sometimes a high budget because maybe we are trying to reach Africa.
C: When you started off as a solo artist did u start off with singles or an album?
JM: I always do singles I believe in singles I did three singles album — on Grateful I did 4 singles Zadzisa, Tomutenda Nei. So usually people who follow my music know if start doing singles an album is coming.
C: You are a successful gospel artist, your advise to young artist, should they take the route of singles or an album first if you are a new artist?
JM: If I were to give them advise I would definitely tell them to go singles routes . . . you know it’s a lot of money to put into an album thesedays we’re talking about 15 track albums you really like money things let’s say each song is costing u what let’s say US$300 and then usually Chamvary will pick one song and you ini ndine 15 tracks and you plays one so I’d rather do singles and give each a breathing space and thesedays were in the age of streaming of YouTube and most people who have made it didn’t have to have 15 songs to breakthrough only it takes is one song.
C: How long does it take for you to come up with a song?
JM: It really depends NdiJehovah was the fastest songs I ever did and that took 3 weeks.
C: There is another genre which takes 3 hours and we’re not talking about that
JM: With the back and forth and everything and rewriting and recomposing, six months zvichienda zvakadaro. I put time. Sometimes u have to repeat finish the song and feel ummm lets relook at it.
C: How did you get the amazing Shingisai Suluma on the track to feature with you?
JM: The experience with Mai Suluma is quite interesting so she reached out to me first on YouTube and said well done you’re a doing a great job and I got her digits from a mutual friend and then I wrote her and we would chit chat. And then I said I want u to come to Zimbabwe and then she said if you wanna sing with then I will come. And ngatipedzisei Muchengeti cuz obviously she was my inspirational inspirator and I was so chaffed with the say it came out. And then my producer did an amazing job just putting Muchengeti together and when she heard it she loved it.
C: Talk and debate Janet Manyowa’s music popular in urban cities however Zimbabwe is a whole country and also rural communities as an artist do you reach out to create a fan base in those communities.
JM: The truth the matter of the matter and of life kha . . . I need this to come out right is you cannot be al to all. so there are other people in the urban areas who I actually don’t even appeal to, and then there are other people because of what they prefer I might never appeal to. But having said that this year I’m going on tour and I have a lot of people who write me from distant places who love my music s and I do to reach out to them. But I don’t think I’m gonna try and change my sound to make sure I have everyone love me because there are so many artists and at the end of the day there are fishermen who are all doing their job to get the fish.
C: How do u guys manage to strike a balance between marriage and work life especially when opposing views arise?
JM: Yes we’re different people and we have had to learn. I always say the breakdown of any relationship then comes when you fail to communicate expectations . . . so what has helped maybe is that open communication channel of being able to talk about the hardest things or hardest fears that we both faced. so there are times when he honours me as an artists and says okay I disagree with u but I’m gonna honour you as an artist and there are times when I say I disagree with you but I’m gonna honour you as my husband and tobva tati we’ve agreed.
C: Comparison on gospel and secular is it fair to have two categories being branded under the same banner?
JM: I think my view is a bit I like saying it because I believe that gospel is gospel a genre, it’s a message. Just like Rick Rose has to practice what he sings where I am getting to is this is my stance unless I’m convinced otherwise I believe that gospel is a message and it’s not a genre. But we have decided that vanoimba zvese zvaMwari vachiridza mbira hosho vachiridza magitare, vese igospel but dzimwe dzacho iR&B, dzimwe dzacho itori jazz dzimwe dzacho itori rap or whatever it is. I think that gospel music is just message which has many genere so having said that I think we should be put on the same pedestal with everybody if you’re a female zvatiri kuimba ya second stage. If you do that you’re gonna say let’s have afro-jazz awards woti vanoita afro-jazz ye love mirai apo, vanoita afro-jazz yegospel mirai apo, vanoita afro jazz against drug abuse mirai apo. . . We shouldn’t be played on Sunday it’s just music if you’re flowing in the mood of love songs or R&B or a certain vibe you should have gospel in there, you should have every message in there.
C: Still on wards you won big award last year The Best of Africa Gospel Award at the SABC Crown Gospel Awards did you imagine you would win?
JM: I was hoping to win yah I, but I didn’t think I would win but praise the Lord.
C: And what is winning an award any award, have an effect on you.
JM: I am doing the right thing but at the same time I don’t think I should be defined too much by awards neither should the way I see myself change.
C: If you had not become a gospel singer is there other profession you would have taken?
JM: I probably would have been a designer of some sort interior designer (or) clothing designer.
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