HARARE - Rising chanter Edeline “Juwela” Mapuranga believes she now has what it takes to share the limelight with Sandra “Lady Squanda” Gazi at the apex of Zimbabwe’s female dancehall community.
The 22-year-old third-year media student at the Midlands State University has been emboldened by the good run her track Love Haimanikidzwe is currently enjoying on ZBC-TV’s Music Qalabash charts.
“I am very confident that soon I will be a household name in Zim Dancehall and in the country’s music industry in general,” Juwela told the Daily News on Sunday.
“I am ready to stake my claim on the female dancehall throne alongside established dancehall queens like Lady Squanda and Lady B who are my sisters in music. These two are very competitive but I believe I have a slight edge over them because my beat differs from theirs.”
Apart from the chart-topping Love Haimanikidzwe, Juwela, whose nickname is derived from the precious stone “Jewel”, has 11 other singles and is working on her debut album.
“Some of my tracks are Stop the Tears, Bad Girl, Musandimutse and Ukandida Unobvei?. I can sing across several music genres and am confident that this versatility will enhance my chances in the competitive music industry,” said the former Rusununguko Primary School and Nyamuzuwe High School student.
The Chitungwiza-raised Juwela, who has collaborated with DJ Smiley, Lady Squanda and Lady B, draws inspiration from urban contemporary musician Cindy Munyavi.
“Since I started singing I have always admired Cindy because of her ability to consistently deliver at a very high level. My international role model is Lady Saw; I like the way she sings and the way she speaks her mind in the male-dominated dancehall world,” she said.
Born last in a family of eight children, she told the Daily News on Sunday that her parents and siblings were initially unwilling to endorse her plunge into dancehall music because of the music genre’s association with “vulgar lyrics and indiscipline.”
“Understandably, my family was initially not very keen on my decision to venture into music because I started singing at the tender age of 14 when my family relocated to Chitungwiza where the dancehall culture was very strong. My parents, four sisters and three brothers are all now very supportive. They insist though that school must come first,” Juwela said.
“My friends and neighbours also love my music and they are always encouraging me. I eventually want to pursue a career in the advertising industry because that is essentially the reason why I am studying a media and society degree but my music career will never end.”