Zimbabwe’s Top Artiste Zhakata to Release ‘Game Changer’

Zimbabwe’s legendary musician Leonard Karikoga Zhakata has revealed plans to unveil two new projects which will be released into the market soon.

Following the release of his latest album carrying hit songs like ‘Madam Boss’ and ‘Zvine Mwaka’, Zhakata has not wasted time by announcing the release of the new albums.

“We have a worship album in collaboration with other artists coming up and we have ‘Game Changer’ which we hope will inspire our fans”, Zhakata said during a wide-ranging interview with Bondamakara during the programme ‘Living Legends.

During the interview, Zhakata who decried the spread of piracy like cancer while the authorities do nothing to curb it, said that he is still going strong and promises to make more music for his fans.

Zhakata like many other artists in Zimbabwe get a meagre income from the sale of CDs due to piracy which continues to surge unchecked and he now relies solely on live shows.

The soft-spoken artist faced many challenges in his musical career and thought of hanging the guitars when he released the album ‘Gotwe’ which translates to ‘Last born’ in English, but with the unwavering support from his fans, he picked himself up and released the album ‘Zvangu Zvaita’ which then catapulted him back into the lime light.

In a career spanning more than two decades with over twenty albums to his name, Zhakata has gone through trying times, losing close to ten band members including his nephew Thomas Makion and recently one of his dancers Norman ‘Nomara’ Kembo, who died in car crash.

Only one original member of the band, lead guitarist Antonio ‘Anzanga’ Bizerk has braved the storms and remains with the musical outfit up to now.

Zhakata proved to be a force to reckon with in 2016 as three of his songs came one after the other on Coca Cola Top Twenty radio show.

Baba VaChamu as his fans like to call him has been on the rise in recent years seems to have found the winning formula once again.

In 2015 his song ‘Dhonza Makomborero’ scooped the first position and silenced many critics who had labelled him a spent-force.

Leonard rose to fame in 1994 with the hit song ‘Mugove’ off the album ‘Maruva Enyika’. He broke new ground in the music industry by becoming the youngest and the first Zimbabwean solo musician to sell over 100 000.

Zhakata and the late Makion who was an amazing dancer and composer, took the industry by storm in the 90s under the name Maungwe Brothers.

Zhakata is admired by many for leading an exemplary and humble life in an industry where many have grown big-headed due to fame and success. He has managed, with remarkable success, to draw a line between his life as a public figure and his private space making him a perfect role model to aspiring artists.