Zimbabwe’s leading music platform the Gateway Stream Music platform will this weekend on Saturday host the very first Sungura concert dubbed “ Sungura Blast” at Harare International Conference Centre.
The leading act is award-winning Sungura guru Alick Macheso. The act will comprise six artists which include some new entrants; the lineup includes Alick Macheso, Nicholas Zacharia, Baba Harare, Mark Ngwazi, Sulu Chimbetu, Shantel Sithole and Audinance Kuimba. Gateway Stream Music recently held the successful Redefined concert in June 2022.
On being asked what inspired Gateway Stream Music to host the Sungura Blast concert, Gateway Stream Music Manager Elton Kurima said “ We believe our local talent is a match to any regional or international acts. This is why we are driven to partner with artists; create great world-class productions, and give artists a big stage and an overall best experience for the audience. Our strategy is to showcase all the local music genres as they appeal to different market segments.”
The line-up consists of a mix of seasoned artists such as Alick Macheso, and Nicholas Zakaria and also new and upcoming artists like Shantel Sithole and Audinance Kuimba. “As Gateway Stream Music we believe in offering a platform for new and upcoming artists to be heard. We always ensure that there is an upcoming artist in our line-up” he said.
Sungura Blast also seeks to bridge the gap between two generations. A time passed when Sungura and Kanindo were mostly dominated by male artists but the amazing and talented Shantel Sithole is breaking this stereotype. Shantel Sithole is a young and rising artist born in Chipinge who sings Kanindo music. Kanindo is the original beat of Africa. It was there before sungura and rhumba and these music trends were indeed born out of kanindo.
When asked whether the target for the Sungura Blast was to fill up the Harare International Conference Centre (HICC) he advised that the event was created to give the Sungura lovers some great musical experience and the artists a stage and superstar treatment they will never forget and not necessarily to fill up the HICC.
“Following up on the same level of delivery from our Redefined Concert, we feel the artists we have lined up are equally prominent and, in particular, the Sungura genre deserves the recognition,” said Kurima. The popular Star FM DJ Ndumiso “ The SkyWalker” is the compare for the night.
The concert will also be streamed on the Gateway Stream Music Pay Per View platform. This will give the Diaspora audience the opportunity to watch the show and those local fans who may not be able to make their way to the HICC. To access the PPV platform fans must download the application on the Google play store and Apple App Store, and the Gateway Stream Music website.
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