MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST songstress Marcy Janyure has promised a relentless new burst of fun and entertainment born out of her creativity in and outside music.
With three music albums to her credit namely: Chishuwo (wish /wishes), Maboorangoma and Ndada, which were all produced by the industrious Clive Mono Mukundu at his Monolio Studios, Janyure — a Music Crossroads Academy Alumni — indicated that art is all about freedom of expression. She prefers designing and crafting her own stage attire, footwear, clothes and bags as part of her broadened artistry.
NewsDay Life & Style took time to converse with Janyure and learnt that she started the Reality Shackers Band a dozen years ago and used to perform cover versions for nearly three years. The band was rebranded to Black Things after she conceived her own sound and identity as an artist. This gave birth to the three music albums Chishuwo (wish /wishes) (2011), Maboorangoma (2018) and Ndada.
On her singles Mwanagu and Usachinje Moyo she roped in the services of world acclaimed Afro Jazz guitarist Louis Mhlanga.
Janyure confessed to NewsDay Life & Style that she puts an additional touch to each of her attire in order to feel good and her crocheting and crafting are closely connected to her music making.
“Crafting is equated to composing music. Crafting is usually done with limited resources to come up with best rendition ever. I like leathercraft and crocheting because I will be making my imaginations much more visible,” she opined.
“I am more in love with the sandals I make because I find so much freedom to express myself. I often use thread, buttons and different types of wool. Colours define the different moods that people go through and at times as for bright colours, they remind people to cherish a beautiful moment and share all the possible fun. I love using my crocheting and making my bags. Adding different designs from a pencil and paint drawing patches helps me to come up with assorted colours,” she said.
Janyure — a Diploma student from Music Crossroads Academy where she studied for three years and where she also obtained a Music Business Certificate and a Certificate in Professional Music — accepted as true that study has broadened her scope of music creation and in the process developed diverse social and business skills.
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To a greater extent, Janyure thinks that her music is about what human beings face in their daily lives, such as happiness, fears, concerns, hopes and mostly issues that society shuns.
For example, the song Mwanangu has a deep meaning behind it.
“My song Mwanangu is a broad production that talks about the things we were given and never asked to choose what we wanted like parents who we cannot change no matter how good or bad they are,” she explained.
“Such situations then give people the probability to think that if it was a personal choice, they would have done better. This leads to so many conflicts and disputes among families, but I believe it is like that for a reason that we might not understand now, maybe later in this journey of life.”
Thinking positively defines Janyure, who appreciates challenges as indicators of possible emerging opportunities.
“All great things were made out of challenges as solutions to problems being faced. When they say challenges, I see opportunities.
“Business, Business, Business! If we all look at the music industry as a business our approach and mind-set would have shifted on the right direction. Let us start educating the young ones because that’s the future, the current music practitioners in the game and those who are trying to learn how it works. Music is business, you can’t run a business that you have no idea about,” she recommended.
Janyure was awarded the Hope Award sponsored by Back in My Stilettos in partnership with Old Mutual for using her life story to encourage young people that no matter how dark one’s life or childhood is, a new narrative can still be built based on realised success stories.
“Let us rise above the normal and get out of our comfort zones. Learning to reach for what seems to be farfetched, yet it’s so near. Music business has to be learnt and be understood. Let us educate ourselves that is the only amour we need. To be equipped with the right tools for the right job,” she concluded the conversation.
