HARARE - Until the release of his debut solo album Kana Muchitidako late last year, Jacob Moyana was an unknown musician who had struggled for 15 years to gain a foothold on the Zimbabwean music scene.
But just over a year ago the Chipinge-born musician claims that he dreamt of the controversial song Kana Muchitidako –a track replete with lyrics that many believe have vulgar connotations.
Thanks to the song’s association with dirty lyrics, Moyana has suddenly become a hit with music fans and music promoters who are eager to cash in on his popularity.
In an interview with Daily News on Sunday’s Vasco Chaya, a candid Moyana unravelled his tortured childhood, marital misfortunes and how the hit Kana Muchitidako has opened new windows of opportunity.
Below are excerpts of the interview:
VC: Is it true that you had a very difficult childhood?
JM: I was born in 1980 on a farm in Chipangayi (formerly called Middle Sabi) in Chipinge district.
We moved from one farm to the other in search of better life but it never came. My parents divorced when I was just five years old.
My mother then took me and my little brother Zacharia to a place called Daisy Hill near the town of Chipinge where I did my primary school education. That was the last time I saw my father.
In 1992 when I was 12 years old my mother went to Mutare in search of employment and she never came back home, leaving me and my little brother in the midst of a very severe drought to fend for ourselves.
We basically survived on fruits. One day after I crossed the border into Mozambique in search of mangoes Zacharia was taken by an aunt .
To cut a long story short I haven’t seen my mother and my young brother Zacharia to this day.
With no one to pay secondary education school education I relocated to Harare where I became a conductor on a commuter omnibus that plied the Mbare-city route for seven years.
VC: Did your life change after you relocated to Harare?
JM: Even though I was a kombi conductor I got married to policewoman and we were blessed with a child. Around 1999 when I began my music career, my wife divorced me.
Then Murambatsvina struck. Ironically my former wife was part of the team that destroyed the dwellings I stayed in during Murambatsvina.
Now homeless I accompanied Joseph Garakara to perform in Beit-Bridge as a session guitarist and decided to remain the border town because life was better for me there.
VC: Did you make some money in the early part of your music career both in Harare and Beit Bridge?
JM: I could say I was fairly successful as a musician. While still in Mbare I joined Tinashe Express and we won the Chibuku Road to Fame competition in 2002.
We later changed the name of the band to Ghetto Express. We released three albums as Ghetto Express including Mari Yako Chete, Tarisiro and Toita Zviripo but we never realised meaningful returns.
If my main aim was to make money out of music, I would have quit a long time ago. Of course I would like to earn a meaningful life from my music career but the main aim why I ventured into music is to drown my troubled past that keeps haunting me.I find solace in my music.
VC: Are you surprised that suddenly music promoters are now jostling for you yet you just have a single album under your belt as a solo musician?
JM: I have come a long way a long way and I attribute my improving fortunes to midzimu yangu (he says while taking some snuff).
My ancestors have communicated to me through dreams to compose certain songs.I dreamt the song Kana Muchitidako while I was in Beit-Bridge.
I knew the song would be a hit because in the dream even trees and other plants were dancing as I belted out the song. Now the song is receiving overwhelming favourite of music fans and to me the dream has come true.
Kana Muchitidako is just the beginning of a memorable music journey...mark my words. My ancestors have already let me know that my maiden overseas tour is on the horizon.
VC: Do you intend to tone down your lyrics which are deemed‘unfit’ for society by many music critics?
Many people pretend to be very opposed to the so called dirty lyrics yet they spent about 80 percent of their time discussing and thinking “dirty” things .
For as long as my ancestors continue to give me songs like Kana Muchitidako I won’t hold back.
There is nothing obscene about Kana Muchitidako. The song proves that Shona is an interesting and funny language that can easily be misinterpreted.
I am just a creative person playing around with Shona. Not all my songs are like Kana Muchitidako.I have other fairly decent songs which were inspired by my poor background.
VC: Have you remarried?
JM: I now have a loving and caring wife called Shylet Ndou who blessed me with a baby girl. Ndou did some dirty part -time jobs to assist me to buy musical instruments. I owe her a lot for being very good to me.