SELF-PROCLAIMED local rhumba king Farai “Juntal” Serima — who is set to share the stage with Congolese rhumba icon Fally Ipupa at the Harare International Conference Centre on May 26 — has been accused of ripping off Bebi Philli’s soundtrack on Balaumba for his song, Mutupo.
BY ANESU MUSHAWATU
Although social media has been abuzz with the news over the last few days, Juntal’s manager, Luckmore Kambadza, yesterday dismissed the allegations.
“The first 10 seconds of the song sounds the same, but the overall work is different. Besides, anywhere in Africa and in the world, who has produced something that is not similar to someone’s work?” he quipped.
Kambadza accused social media users of pouring out negative energy on artistes, but said Juntal has converted such negativity into a “drug” that keeps him going. “Juntal has been making videos before and has scooped a lot of awards. It’s just that most people do not understand the genre. What actually made Mutupo a hit song is how Juntal played around the video and how creative and outstanding he was,” he said.
The Mutupo hitmaker is lined up to perform alongside music superstar Oliver “Tuku” Mtukudzi at the Ipupa gig organised by flamboyant socialite Genius “Ginimbi” Kadungure. Kambadza said that Mtukudzi’s history has been a great inspiration to Juntal and he was honoured to share the stage with the legend.
“It is such a great honour to be part of this line-up, especially because he struggled to gain recognition, but the time has come to show Zimbabweans and the rest of the world who we are and what we were born to do,” he said.
The musician also promised to change the musical game ahead of his upcoming album release in August this year.
