SNEAK PEEK :Freeman Makopa
Carrington Simbarashe Chiwadzwa – popularly known as Nutty O – is a top Zimdancehall chanter under Jah Prayzah’s Military Touch Movement record label. His popular tracks include Boom Shelele and Dakufara Nhasi. He has developed a reputation for seamlessly delivering his vocals blending Shona and Patois, the bastardised form of English spoken in Jamaica. Born and bred in Mbare, he was the first local musician to feature on DJ Edu’s Afrodancehall show on BBC 1xtra with the track, Kwandabva Kure. Nutty O has shared the stage with Jamaican dancehall sensation, Charly Black and was in 2016, nominated the Most Promising Zimdancehall Artiste.
His singles include Just A Cover, Mbare Mi Home, African Girl, Bugatti, Chihwai Hwai, Helmet, We On A Journey, Come and Go, I Wanna be High and Stamina. He is set to release his debut full album this year. Nutty O (NO) speaks to NewsDay (ND) Life & Style’s Freeman Makopa on his music career…
ND: How is your music journey so far given that you have made a name on the international stage?
NO: All is well, but there is still a lot of ground to cover. So, yes, I am going to put in the work.
ND: You have performed alongside the original Wailers. How has the experience helped you and your career and have you approached the band for a collaboration?
NO: We all need pointers in life or should I say moments that reveal the greatness in us and meeting and performing with the Wailers was one great point in my career. Yes, there is a lot that could happen in future.
ND: There has been talk that various international promoters approached you for your services and your management ignored the requests. How far true is that?
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
NO: I am not sure of that and I have not been informed of such, hence I will not comment.
ND: What is your focus now going forward and what plans do you have?
NO: My focus has always been to take over the world with good music. I have a plan for both the local and international markets. I am going to announce more great news as we go further into the year. I am also going to drop my debut album this year.
ND: Are there any international collaborations in the pipeline?
NO: Yes, more collaborations are to come and I also have more songs on Jamaican riddims to come courtesy of Aicon Records Jamaica.
ND: Male artistes are often mobbed and approached by female fans seeking relationships outside music, how have you dealt with that?
NO: Female fans will always be female fans; it is nothing big as long as you know your confines.
ND: You recently won an award from a local radio station but you have not appeared in other local arts awards. What can you say about local music awards? Have they been fair in their nomination process?
NO: Zimbabwe music awards, National Arts Merit Awards to be specific, need to do better for Zimbabwean arts. I feel I was one of the strongest voices in 2019 and my work speaks for itself but after all my submissions, they did not consider us in the nominations, which is alright, but it is killing and belittling arts in Zimbabwe.
Thanks to Star FM; they did a fair job and their process was clean in such a way that they use radio audits. They rewarded the musicality, not the popularity of the artistes.
ND: Many regard you as one of Africa’s finest, how do you handle the celebrity status?
NO: I do not consider myself a celebrity. I am an influencer in society and I handle that well because it is about impacting people’s lives positively.
ND: You are currently under the MTM banner. How has the deal helped push your career forward in music?
NO: It is a great engagement I have benefited a lot being around Jah Prayzah, ExQ and DJ Tamuka ND: Some music pundits claim that all artistes in MTM are overshadowed by Jah Prayzah. What’s your view on that?
NO: To say being overshadowed is fallacy. I believe everyone is meant to walk a different journey.
ND: You have been in the industry for quite some time. Why did it take you this long to drop a full album?
NO: Because good things take time. I don’t just do music; I wanna use music to do a lot of things, hence you take time preparing the right meal before the people.
