Veteran Afro-pop musician Khuxxman, born Khulekani Bethule, has revealed that he has been going through a tough time emotionally, a development that made him consider ending his musical career.
Khuxxman rose to fame in 2000 with a hit track titled MaAfrica, which topped national charts and earned him a nomination at the Zimbabwe Music Awards.
He has also produced hits such as Vumelan’ Isangoma, Amaloja and Unyawo Lwami.
“To be honest I have been going through a tough time, especially emotionally,” Khuxxman said.
“I don’t know whether it’s the much talked about depression, but it got to a point where I decided to quit music altogether.”
However, despite the rough patch, he said it had been virtually impossible for him to drop the microphone and was in the process of reviving his life and career.
“I'm getting back on my feet,” he said.
“It's impossible for me to quit music; I have tried and failed dismally.”
Currently, the musician has been doing some podcasts for different organisations, focusing on his PA system hire business.
On the musical front, he disclosed that he is working on a new sound called Sitshikitsha having started experimenting with it a couple of years back, releasing two EPs in 2021 and 2023.
“It's some locally brewed dance music which fuses Zimbabwean dance styles such as Isitshikitsha, Amabhiza, Ndandanda just to mention a few with modern dance music,” he said, adding that he has worked with talented artistes including Vusa Mkhaya:
“The main inspiration behind this style is my wish to see Bulawayo have its own unique dance sound different from the South Africa one though we can't totally run away from theirs.”
Khuxxman said the sound has not yet made much impact on a commercial level mainly due to the poor marketing strategy on his part.
“It would have made an impact already had I been making visuals for all the songs released so far because it's much easier to sell a new style through its dance moves. Remember most of the dance styles I mentioned haven't been promoted much,” he said.
Khuxxman underscored that the current music industry is a bit complicated and different from how it was years back. He is in the process of adapting to the changes.
Meanwhile, the musician is looking forward to launching an album, resuming live performances and releasing visuals for his work.
“This year I'm looking forward to releasing a Disco (Splash) album due to pressure from fans who like me for that genre,” he said.