By Jonathan Mbiriyamveka
Success means a lot to performing artistes.
It could mean more followers on social media, and it could also mean money in the bank.
But success can also bring arrogance and full of I know in performing artistes too.
And when an artiste reaches that stage no matter how much you try and make sense to them they simply won’t listen.
This is the stage where Winky D is now at. He no longer listens to anyone except himself and it is a tragedy because this is when progress stops.
As a music critic I have seen Winky D since his formative years. From battles on the mic to the time he stopped using backtracks to live performances. All these developments we applauded him up until he started commanding a huge following on social media.
There was a time he would work closely with promoters to the time he dropped those same promoters to working with corporates.
While he has moved to live performances Winky D has largely been affected by one thing.
Winky D born Wallace Chirumiko is one of the big artistes in Zimbabwe at present but his act besides being predictable he is now overly relying on performing a medley of his songs.
The first time he did this we were so excited but because he is now doing it over and over it is oddly becoming monotonous.
The question what does Winky D need to do to step up his act on stage.
Well, or all intents and purposes Winky D need to match international standards. Winky D should actually perform his songs. What do we mean by this, he needs to sing his songs and stop being a choir master.
Yes the crowd can sing along but don’t overdo it to the point where the crowd has to sing every song.
Secondly, the problem with performing a medley of songs is you cannot engage the crowd to understand why you performed certain songs. Give us a background to the song so we understand why and what you mean. A number of his have been misconstrued and Winky D has to give those sound bites before performing the song. Those who watched superstar Oliver Mtukudzi’s Live in Copenhagen will attest to this. I compared Winky D to Tuku because they both Zimbabwean musicians.
Thirdly, the sound of a medly isn’t exactly exciting because the songs will end up sound the same with one bassline and rhythm which shouldn’t be the case.
An element of surprise will do the trick but unfortunately Winky D wants to surprise fans by his attire or dressing. At the Castle National Braai Day over the weekend at Old Hararians he dressed like Pirates of the Caribbean, the Johnny Depp style. It was pretty cool but then the musicality didn’t sell.
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